Singer/songwriter Loz brings together a collection of pop/rock styles in this his first album. ‘Exploration’ has been a two-year project, which has taken up most of Loz’s spare time to write, record, mix and produce: ‘I’ve been busy making sure everything was right on these recordings before I released them’, Loz explains. ‘It’s been exciting to record everything in my studio at home and have the hands on control with my music that many musicians crave.’ Loz’s flair for music comes from a wide range of musical influences: ‘I find myself listening to The Beatles, The Police, Blur, Travis, Coldplay and Turin Brakes the most. My favourite solo artists have to be Sting, John Lennon, Robbie Williams and Ed Harcourt, most of which all started in bands.’ An accomplished solo musician and performer, Loz also formed several bands and really enjoys playing together in a group: ‘I find the best format for a band is trios. I always believed that a four-piece like The Beatles was best until I found the difficulty in getting four people in the same place, at the same time every week. With a trio you need everyone there before you can make any music. Therefore, the members become more committed to the band. You can then always add special guest musicians to play for you, which adds excitement to the gig for you and your fans.’ Since finishing his Fine Art degree in the summer of 2003, Loz is concentrating on expanding his musical career as well as the music itself: ‘University has given me the chance to explore. Now I feel it’s time to set off and pursue my dreams and ambitions. Hopefully luck will give me an edge when I try to show the world what I can do musically and visually.’ Loz has included several music videos on this album. His love for video, photography and design means that he has full creative control over the look and feel of the album: ‘It’s important that I can still create the videos and artwork for my music or at least keep a close eye on the production. People will then see it as a piece of me, rather than just a product.’ Coming from a creative family – his parents and sister all Graphic Designers – Loz found his love for guitar in his early teens. Asking his Dad to teach him the fundamentals of guitar, Loz was then encouraged to learn more via records and by watching and playing with other musicians: ‘The great thing about starting the guitar was that I chose to do it rather than being forced. I’d be taught piano and trombone but it seemed like a chore at the time. Guitar was my salvation. It helped me get through those tough early teen years. I could pour my heart out to the guitar and it would listen in the form of making my own songs.’ Loz looks forward to the fun and hard work ahead in promoting the album and him: ‘I can’t wait to get some commercial interest from my music. All my friends are enjoying the album and I get immense satisfaction knowing they’re listening to my music. It’s really good to hear their comments too - which helps up and coming musicians like myself. I just hope everyone who buys my album can take the time to let me know what they think of the album.’ - If you’d like to send Loz your own comments about his debut album, fill out the form on the Album Review page. With his debut album already out, Loz has already got plans for a new one: ‘I’ve been through some of my songs in my collection and I can’t wait to start putting them down in my studio. This time around I’ll be concentrating on more of a guitar based pop/rock approach, with some fantastic heartfelt emotive songs and pure riff driven songs too.’ Watch this space for news and info about Loz’s future releases, gigs and more.