Chris Devotion and The Expectations – Break Out

Break Out is both a title and a statement of intent for Chris Devotion. Together with his band, he's earned a considerable rep around Glasgow as a thrilling live performer whose new wave songs, seldom longer than 3:30, are capable of winning over the most cynical of crowds. Now it's time to push out of their comfort zone and chart the musical landscape further afield. But while this second album plays to the Expectations' strengths it offers little in the way of surprises.

She is The One is a bracing power-chord sing-along that finishes too quickly; Don't You Call On Me is pure Costello circa This Year's Model. That's not a bad thing per se, but you're left feeling CD/EX are capable of grabbing something even greater – such as the terrific Song for a Girl, where the band channel Marquee Moon and build to an awesome crescendo. [Chris McCall]