Seal: “Newborn Friend” (ZTT)

Little Beirut: “Wish’n” (Glassbox Records)

Little Beirut are young, Irish and honest. ‘Wish’n’ is catchy and hummable. The lyrics are presented in a seamless monologue and the sound is smooth despite the obviously indie cut of it. However, the piece drifts a little too close to East 17 territory for me to completely endorse it. Sadly, Seal has become so flat that the aura of mystique that used to surround him is woefully absent. Without this he remains a shadow of the man who made such a striking impression a few years ago.