Dean Owens - Whisky Hearts

Recorded in Nashville, Edinburgh singer Dean Owens' third album seems to have been pieced together on the plane home. It boasts some quality tunes (see Sand in My Shoes and Beth on the Trampoline), a good voice and a varied, if tried and tested spectrum of subject matter (politics, the environment, ageing), while the stand out countrified trio of Raining in Glasgow, Whisky Hearts and Man From Leith demonstrate that when he gets it right, he gets it spot on, at times sounding like a fresh faced Richard Ashcroft. So it's unfortunate that too much of Whisky Hearts is almost instantly forgettable. "I wouldn't remember me either," he unwittingly offers on Leaving to Remain. With 15 tracks and at almost an hour long, he should have heeded his self critique; half of this could have been sacrificed, resulting in an excellent mini album. In such exciting times for local music, it's difficult to get worked up about Whisky Hearts. [Finbarr Bermingham]