Jesse Malin - Glitter In The Gutter

As Ringo Starr once sang: "I get by with a little help from my friends," and we all know how much he meant that. After a promising debut and the lacklustre follow up, Jesse Malin has instilled the help of an impressive array of friends for his third album. Ryan Adams, as in previous outings, turns up on most of the album. But it's the inclusion of Josh Homme, Jakob Dylan, Chris Shifflet of the Foo Fighters and - incredibly - a duet with Bruce Springsteen that lifts this record above all that Malin has released before. Gone are the high school poetry lyrics and rock 'n' roll by numbers that interspersed previous releases. Instead we find an urgency that was previously lacking and a progression that, while not being entirely remarkable, is quite welcome nevertheless. A good solid record, raised from the ground with a little assistance from his buddies. [Garry Thomson]