I remember being quite taken aback when I saw X-hail at The Wheatsheaf in December last year. The lead singer Samantha Townsend had such a great set of lungs on her she could have been hired by Richard Branson to fill his balloons. It's great to see a live band with a singer that can actually sing.

Samantha's voluptuous voice is meant for a James Bond sound track. Live at The Wheatsheaf, X-Hail actually did its own take on what a James Bond song should sound like with a number called Diamonds. This was far and away better than Lulu's attempt.

On Debt Slaves, X-Hail continue to produce a slick sound that merges blues and some thick rock with jazz to produce middle-ground pop. It's a shame that "middle-ground pop" is the outcome because the constituent parts are so good. It's a bit like when you were at primary school and you took all the bright coloured powder paints and mixed them altogether hoping to produce a brand new, hitherto undiscovered colour, only to produce brown.

X-Hail needs more hooks in its songs and lyrics which stand out and gel better in their own right without been forced to fit by Samantha's tremendous voice. Then their solid music talents would see the band write a few great tunes.