Royal Treatment Plant - Hope is Not Enough (Self Released)
4/5
By: Natasha Arico
And on the seventh day, beyond popular belief, he didn't rest. Instead, he or she or whatever put in motion the wheels that would eventuate in Royal Treatment Plant a few thousand years later.
So good it's unholy are the most appropriate words to describe the debut long-shortish player (it's only eight tracks) from London based ensemble Royal Treatment Plant, as this is a very very lush record indeed...
But wait! Just as I scribe these blasphemic words, since pop music had long been the nemesis of religion, I learn that chief songwriter for the outfit Paula Steel was actually raised in the jungle by a fanatically religious father! True story. Having escaped such a life that would have undoubtedly strangled her creativity like a boa constructor, she's made a pilgrimage into the spoils of rock'n'roll and delivered Hope is Not Enough. We get it; it's Mowgli meets Whitney Huston. But the result is surprisingly fan-f**king-tastic.
Opening and title track 'Hope is Not Enough' starts with a hectic, exaggerated synth assault, not unlike the mental soundtrack you'd experience running through the thick jungle escaping a crazed commune leader. But then it all sinks a scale deeper into a dainty punk track - 'Undercurrent' is a hasty, Blondie-esque thrash-slaught from the start but when wedded with Steels sweet, lippy voice, it's less abrasive and more of a sound prospect.
There are only eight tracks here, but to be perfectly honest if there were any more you'd properly start foaming at the mouth and twitching in frustration. Steel's tone is so winningly yet understatedly sexy, and let's be honest, even if it's absolute bullocks, there's nothing more alluring than a church girl turned rock.
Artists in this article: Royal Treatment Plant
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