Duke Special - Songs From The Deep Forest

Ireland's "hobo-chic" pin-up, Duke Special's latest album is a bewildering mix of songs that are equally better than he thinks they are, and far more terrible than he'd dread. At the album's worst, Duke's golden voice is swamped by unimaginative lyrics and melodies, but when it's good, just as you start thinking it's all a bit too singer-songwritery, you find yourself clicking your fingers and tapping your feet along to a trombone solo. When it's up to this standard, it's very theatrical, but never in a flamboyant way. Many of the songs, especially Brixton Leaves but especially Ballad of a Broken Man, are just crying out for a dance routine that involves walking down stairs in time to the beat... and possibly tuxedos. The question is whether the good moments outweigh the bad, and in this genre, when most groups have little to offer, 'Songs from the Deep Forest' is most definately worth a spin. [Ali Maloney]