God Bless The Pretty Things

Boo Hewerdine is an artist whose name will be known to many in the UK. He's been on the edges of the creative music scene for the past twenty years, either as a group member, a collaborator with artists such as Eddi Reader & Clive Gregson, or as a solo performer. His style has always been difficult to pin down, but his consistency and quality as both a writer and performer have given him a devoted following.

This new album, along with a new deal with Navigator Records, should deservedly bring him to a wider audience. His varied career and collaborations have made him a hard man to pin down stylistically. He's a solid writer with an ear for a great lyric, but the real magic here is in the lightness of touch that is evident throughout.

He uses a fairly big group of musicians and guests who include John McCusker, Heidi Talbot, Ewan Vernal, and Justin Currie. The instrumentation includes guitars, percussion, fiddle, whistle, strings, lap steel, Wurlitzer, and more, but the whole album is gentle, breezy, and superbly produced. This lightness that runs across the instrumentation is accentuated by Hewerdine's understated delivery. His vocals are not lacking in drama or color, but everything is perfectly controlled throughout, from the light acoustic pop through to the superb expressiveness.