Tom McRae - Alphabet of Hurricanes

 

Mercury-nomination aside, Tom McRae has never enjoyed the critical or commercial profile that might have been expected. Specialising in moody singer-songwriter fare, he does his emoting in a market crowded with Ritters, Gonzales, Harcourts and more. It’s a shame that he appears to have responded to this saturation with a shift towards the common denominator, with American Spirit resembling an overwrought bid for a One Tree Hill season finale montage. Vaguely-Celtic ‘anthem’ Please, meanwhile, could soundtrack Scottish tourist board adverts were McRae not from Chelmsford, but it fails to nourish hearts or minds, the former unresponsive to its familiar melody and the latter yawning at the lyrical predictability. Certainly, there’s little to rival the sublime catharsis of You Cut Her Hair, but despite these disappointments, McRae proves resilient and occasionally poignant, not least on Summer of John Wayne’s nostalgic ruminations. Inconsistent but sporadically moving, McRae may raise his profile yet.[Chris Buckle]