James Hara - Nothing New

This is a hugely pleasant little 150-second ditty, culled from Cork-born folkie James Hara’s acclaimed debut Take Us The Foxes. If there’s a criticism, it’s that it’s almost too hushed, too carefree to really grab anyone by the throat in a world in which we are bombarded with oodles of music, more than we know what to do with, on a daily basis. Singer-songwriters like Hara, who emigrated to Glasgow four years ago, might almost need to shout to be heard. But if that were to be the case, it would be a real pity because this understated acoustic number suggests a talent deserving of an attentive audience. [Neil Riddell]