Duke Special - Freewheel Review

Duke Special seeks to join a fine tradition of Irish singer-songwriters and is certainly blessed with some of the talent displayed by his forebears. He has opted for lavish production values with layers of strings and piano to augment his sound. Beneath it all, though, there is a promising narrative songwriting style. It's a tricky balance to strike and it's easy for songs presented in this style to sound over wrought but Duke carries it off with aplomb and looks certain to shift large units thanks to his mass market appeal. [Dave Reid]

Read Barry Jackson's review of Freewheel