Democracy of one

It’s hard to believe The Devlins released their debut album all of 16 years ago. Since then, they’ve become Irish band of choice when it comes to supplying songs for hit TV dramas and movies (Six Feet Under, Dawson’s Creek, Batman Forever to just name three).
With the group currently in hibernation, their chief songwriter has struck out on his own. He must’ve been chomping at the bit, if the quality of these songs are indicative of what else he has in the bag. Recorded in LA with a smooth production from Pierre Marchand (Sarah McLachlan Rufus Wainwright etc) this is a classy affair, replete with memorable tunes, atmospheric textures and lyrics that explore the emotional landscapes of our times.
It’s very much a solo record, too. A sonic palette of mainly acoustic guitars, piano and occasional strings adorn tunes like the spacey ‘Light Years From The Sun’ and the mournful ‘Emelia’. The rhythm section is a tad more upfront on a handful of cuts including the slow-burning ‘Strategies’ and the title track, a syncopated mid-tempo rocker featuring a gorgeous harmony vocal by Canadian singer-songwriter Emm Gryner. If Prefab Sprout had come up with something like this in their heyday it would have gone top ten.

Key Track: 'The devil made a saint'