D:Ream On Vol. 1

D:REAM "D:Ream On Vol. 1" (Magnet)

CONSIDERING THAT an Irish record climbing to the lofty position of number 56 on the Icelandic college charts is normally the cue for a week of national celebration, it's strange that D:Ream's trio of UK hit singles haven't even made enough of an impression here to be greeted with apathy.

Derry man Pete Cunnah is adamant that D:Ream On Vol. 1 is a dance record - his former DJ partner Al Mackenzie obviously wasn't so sure, jumping ship a week before the album's release because he felt the material was too poppy.

Whether D:Ream are a dance outfit with pop sensibility or vice versa is a moot point but, yes, there are moments when tracks like 'So Long I'm Movin' On' and 'Picture My World' stray into Smash Hits territory and make sense of Cunnah's upcoming support slot on the Take That tour.

Distinctly more streetwise are 'U R The Best Thing', a celebratory piano house anthem which has already been claimed as its own by London's gay community, and the gospel-tinged 'Things Can Only Get Better' which manages to out-scream the Primals.

Elsewhere and 'I Like It' finds Cunnah donning a wide-lapelled velvet jacket and flashing back to the era when Philly was the sound; a sultry Latin temptress adds a little extra spice to the rumba stomp of 'Glorious'; and 'Star' is the sort of overblown showstopper that Frank Sinatra might have attempted if there'd been 'E' knocking round in Little Italy during the '50's.

If D:Ream are able to maintain their hold on the club market while launching commando raids into the mainstream, more power to their commercial elbow, but they ought to be warned that suchsubterfuge is fraught with danger - just ask Hammer or any of his bargain-binned compatriots.

At the moment, Pete Cunnah seems to have the balance about right and, as debuts go, D:Ream On Vol. 1 is a pretty impressive calling-card.

• Stuart Clark