Every so often an act comes along, you listen to their music, and listen some more, and are left with the feeling that you don’t really ‘get’ what they are all about. Such is the case with DJ turned singer-songwriter Caged Baby. At I guess I’d say he’ll certainly attract attention with his unusual stage name, and the quite bizarre mix of items he features on the single artwork, but I’m really not sure what people will make of the single ‘Medicine’. In some ways it reminds me of the machines you get in shops, where you can select and play all sorts of chill out, relaxation, sounds of nature type music. The ambient feel would go down well at suitable club nights, but I feel the overall production needs some work. There is almost too much going on during some of the choruses, and sometimes the backing music/vocals are drowning out the lead vocal. It’s not a bad attempt, but I’ve heard much stronger in this genre. ‘Medicine’ also has several remixes on the CD, which don’t quite reach the grade either. They just don’t seem to serve any purpose by being there.

The B-Side to this release, ‘Little Man’ is much better produced, and has a nice ‘back to nature’ feel about it. Some of the beats could almost have come from a beat boxer, and they fuse well with the piano etc. Lyrical phrases such as ‘head in the sand, but weather’s been changing daily’ also stand out on this track.

There’s a few promising elements to both these songs, but if Caged Baby is going to make a successful transition from DJ to singer-songwriter, I think his overall arranging, composing, and mixing skills need a bit of work. Otherwise, randomness aside, there isn’t really enough to excite the listener yet.

‘Medicine’ is released on October 12th. Click here to view the story-laden You Tube Video.