Gravity

Long recognised as one of our better songwriters, Garrett Wall's career has had something of a stop-go quality about it over the past few years, but his move to Spain in 1999, on the evidence of this, his third album, seems to have done him no end of good.

Writers like Wall need an empathic environment for their work to flourish, and the whole tenor of this album is geared towards maximising the impact of the material.

A case in point is the opening title track. Slow, smoky vocals are underpinned by lovely piano lines and drop-dead harmonies, while ‘What You Need’, which follows, is the exact opposite. Uptempo, and driven by percussion and guitar, it would sound great with a gospel choir in tow.

Elsewhere, no-one could mistake the lyrical vitriol of ‘Watching You Fall’. Someone, somewhere has done him a bad turn, and whoever it is,this is the equivalent of the voodoo doll treatment. Still, songwring should be about honest expression of feelings, and it doesn’t come much closer to the bone than here.

Overall, Gravity is an album of no little distinction, and one which should see the man’s star in the ascendant once again. This time, let’s hope it’s for keeps.