Rae is fronted by singer-songwriter-guitarist Leonie Evans with Lorenzo Prati on tenor sax, Leon Boydon on bass and Dan Truen on drums.

The problem for me with Awoken is that not only do you have to be a jazz fan to really "get" Rae, but you also have to buy into their very niche sound.

Awoken is an odd album, 'Phonono/Hous' is probably their most mainstream, accessible track. The press release states that the group "met studying music at the much-lamented Dartington College of Arts in Totnes..." which pretty much explains it. I lived in Totnes myself for several years (I'm now just a stone's throw away on Dartmoor) and my brother gained his music degree from Dartington... but let's just say that Totnes is a haven for hippies and "alternative" types - I've heard some say "slightly damaged individuals". I understand the local council were trying to twin Totnes with Narnia... but that's another story.

And while I get what they're trying to achieve with their music (okay, maybe I don't really understand it) for me it involved too much effort to sit through to be something I'd want to add to my play list and listen to for fun.

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Darren Rea