The Blessing – Prince Of The Deep Water

I had a habit, which became an obsession, of buying CD singles – mostly at a couple of shops in Soho where they were often sold as promotions at about £1 a disc.  I liked the format because you got 3 or 4 songs, often not on any album.  One such was ‘Highway 5’ in 1991 by a band called The Blessing.  I loved it, especially the deep and soulful vocals by William Topley; it reminded me of those classic black soul records of the 60’s, though the music was quite ‘rocky’.  I searched out the album, which was full of great songs.  It had a certain feel to it, as if the band had been playing together for years, but the songs were brilliantly melodic and very new sounding too.  On top of this was that voice, so rich and evocative – you could swear it was some old black bluesman – but Mr. Topley was white.  Best tracks are ‘Highway 5’, ‘Hurricane Room’ and the magnificent ‘Delta Rain’.  The album sold quite well but slowly – over 125,000 – which was excellent for a debut.  The follow-up sunk without a trace and the band broke up soon after.  A pity, as I thought they were brilliant.  Oh well.