Album review: TIMOTHY CRAIG – 360 Degrees

TIMOTHY CRAIG – 360 Degrees

Ball & Chain Entertainment [Release date 09.02.15]

Timothy Craig’s  ‘360 Degrees’ is aimed at the country tinged, heartland crossover rock market, populated by Stetson wearing dudes in blue jeans, bling and white t shirts.

It’s music with a wide appeal, but while ‘360 Degrees’ has some fine moments it tries too hard to fit an existing formula and teeters on the brink of being too country for rock fans and vice versa. That said, Timothy’s heartfelt songs have enough booming hooks to draw the listener in to his narratives.

‘360 Degrees’ is his 7th album, and suggests he’s an accomplished singer songwriter and producer who has honed his craft in tandem with a slick band, on an album that has a consistent flow and resonating sound.

Timothy’s songs strike a balance between optimism, wonder and realism, as he moves from the broken relationship song of ‘Crime Of The Century’, the emotive ballad ‘One Small Miracle’ and the confident rocker ‘Learning To Live Without You’, to the optimistic summery feel of ‘State Line’ and the Springsteen style grandeur of ‘Stand Still’.

At best, he’s a melodic rocker who keeps one foot solidly in the contemporary Nashville camp as evidenced by the hard rock driven, but country tinged opener ‘Flesh n’ Blood’, on which Lauren Saks’ feverish violin and Donny Roberts ripping guitar work pushes the arrangement to the limit.

The opening mandolin line of ‘Don’t Walk Away’ gives the song its rootsy feel alongside big twanging chords, call and response vocals and a catchy hook, on a song that probably tries too hard to be commercial.

‘One Small Miracle’ is the album highlight and is reason enough to buy the album. A sonorous violin line, an aching vocal, some subtly woven dynamics and a defining lyric segue into the enveloping hook, as Timothy’s vocal soars: “I’m running out of answers, what am I supposed to do, Is there anybody up there, can’t you hear my voice, can’t you feel my pain, someone send me an angel, someone send me angel”.

The banjo led ‘Smell The Roses’ is almost equally good, with a big back beat and prickly lyrics:  “I’m not in love, so I’m not in pain, but I feel they could be two the same, I’m not in heaven, no no,  and I’m not in hell, but sometimes it gets so hard to tell”.

Former Web Wilder guitarist Donny Roberts adds chiming, sparkling lines over which Timothy emotes expressively.

‘Learning to Live’ opens with a contrasting violin intro and another big drum sound, but settles on being a mid tempo rocker with a sweeping hook and big wall of sound, while the snappy ‘Can’t You Feel My Heart’ is a mid tempo melodic country rocker.

The curious thing about ‘360 Degrees’ is that the best songs don’t necessarily represent the album as a whole.  Timothy Craig is a free spirited heartfelt songwriter who at his best has the ability to emotionally engage us, even if the album as whole tries a little too hard to cast him as the next Rascal Flatts crossover band.  ****

Review by Pete Feenstra


Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK

Since early 2020 Josh has been entertaining us with exclusive monthly live sessions, streamed via Facebook.

In 2023 he signed a recording deal with Sony in Canada and released a new single on 15 September.

Josh Taerk Sunday Sessions 2024

Latest session: Sunday 25 February
Next session: Sunday 14 April

Check out videos here: https://www.facebook.com/getreadytorockradio



David Randall presents a weekly show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Sundays at 22:00 GMT, repeated on Mondays and Fridays), when he invites listeners to ‘Assume The Position’. The show signposts forthcoming gigs and tours and latest additions at getreadytorock.com. First broadcast on 3 March 2024.


UK Blues Broadcaster of the Year (2020 and 2021 Finalist) Pete Feenstra presents his weekly Rock & Blues Show on Tuesday at 19:00 GMT as part of a five hour blues rock marathon “Tuesday is Bluesday at GRTR!”. The show is repeated on Wednesdays at 22:00, Fridays at 20:00). This show was first broadcast 5 March 2024.

How to Listen Live?

Click the programming image at the top of the page (top right of page if using desktop)

Listen via Windows Media Player. Click or tap here and “open file”
Listen via other media player (eg. VLC) Click or tap here and “open file”

Get Ready to ROCK! Radio is also in iTunes under Internet Radio/Classic Rock
Listen in via the Tunein app and search for “Get Ready to ROCK!” and save as favourite.

More information and links at our radio website where you can listen again to shows via the presenter pages: getreadytorockradio.com


Power Plays w/c 18 March 2024

GYPSY’S KISS We’ve Come To Play
FM Out Of The Blue (Frontiers)
SHOTGUN MISTRESS Shot Down (indie)
ATTIC THEORY Violent Delight (indie)
FLOYA Yume (FiXT)
SAHAJI Tell Me All Your Feelings (indie)

Featured Albums w/c 18 March 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003-2023
12:00-13:00 LEAVES’ EYES Myths Of Fate (AFM Records)
14:00-16:00 HOLLY LERSKI Sweet Decline (indie)


To see our Tweets you need to be logged in to a Twitter account



Popular (last 10 days)


This entry was posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Leave a Reply