Album Review: Dylan John Thomas, Nothing Here Worth Taking

Glasgow singer-songwriter Dylan John Thomas has built his reputation on direct, melodic songwriting rooted in folk, indie and classic pop. His influences channel Leonard Cohen, Paul Simon, The Beatles and Johnny Cash. Indeed, you can hear The Man In Black’s ‘boom-chicka-boom’ rhythm on opener ‘Nothing Here Worth Taking’ – but there’s a lot more to it than that.

The ska brass that Dylan John Thomas loved as a kid, circles carnival-style around a tune built for communal choruses and ecstatic dancing. That folk-meets-contemporary style is also on ‘Come And Get It’, where an uptempo piano riff gets barrelled through fingerpicked guitar, resulting in a dancefloor banger. Bluegrass-style banjo and brass make for fine bedfellows on ‘Got You On My Mind’, while ‘Heaven Knows You’re Lonely’ is proof Dylan also excels with just guitar and vocals.

In one sense, ‘Dining With The Devil Next Door’ is a classic slice of songwriter pop, but the collision of ska swagger and Glaswegian brogue also makes it deliciously original. A fantastic collection.

• Out now.