Kieran Docherty - Expectations

Crowded House are invoked from the very first bar and never stray far from our thoughts, both in the style of song and vocal delivery in this debut album from Glasgow singer-songwriter Kieran Docherty. Most of the tracks are frustratingly bitty - there are enough good tunes but many of these have uninspiring (or worse, clichéd) lyrics or vice versa. Some hooks are in the choruses (Gathering Speed) while the likes of Brown to Blue has a stronger verse and an unremarkable chorus. Only the plaintive Pleasing You steps up and manages to blend each element into one truly great song. Topped and tailed with forgettable tracks, it's the mid section that really impresses and announces Docherty's arrival as a promising songwriter, albeit one in need of his own voice. [Paul Greenwood]