(3-TRACK DEMO)
Juma, if given the support they deserve, could be intergalactic superstars. Well, ok, they aren�t quite that earth-shattering in their mainstreet, indie-pop ways, but I think this 3-track CD - headed by the sweet �My Fair Angel� (�She�s never going home�) - is, in true English-tradition, sanctimoniously splendid. It�s Angel�s soulful chorus that means substance fends off too much style, pointing to shagpiles of potential, before �Made of Gold� eschews bolshier rock�n�roll instigated by Oasis-pioneered swagger and well-meaning, Shed 7-licking melodies (�I�ve got no hope, just dreams�). On their inoffensive surface they fleetingly remind of Hull indie band Still Life on CD. But Still Life totally party-pop when playing live and all-action strands of Juma may, I fear, act similarly before a fee-paying audience. I dunno. But I do know this CD surprises yet again with closer �When Ya Comin Down,� the most ambitious, atmospherically-brooding and satisfying track of the three in which even the bogstandard indie �chorus of expectation� somehow sounds marvellously set apart from other current contenders. Juma are a damn, damn fine find. (STEVE RUDD)
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