ROUND TOWER NEWS

"IT'S BEEN a good year so far - but I think it's going to get even better." Thus spoke an ebullient Clive Hudson, Managing Director of Round Tower Music, as he prepared to launch the company's latest onslaught on the market.

Round Tower began as an Irish independent label, with the emphasis on linking up with local talent the majors were neglecting. Just a few years on, however, it has evolved into a far more significant operation. With offices in London as well as Dublin, the label is home to a roster of singer-songwriters which is unparalleled on this side of the world.

"There's an ethos which we've developed," says Hudson. "We are interested in great music, but in particular in great songwriters. I want to be involved with music that I love, and I've been lucky enough to find that the kind of music I'm most passionate about is also an area where there are real opportunities right now. We've been able to put a great roster together, and we've had some significant successes."

A glance through Round Tower News will give the uninitiated an insight into just how great the roster is, and how strong its appeal is likely to be to fans of real music.

With the recent success of the Tom Pacheco/Steinar Albrigtsen album Big Storm Coming in Norway, where it went to No.1, and became the biggest-selling album of the year so far, following hard on the heels of Mick Hanly's songwriting breakthrough in the U.S., where Hal Ketchum had a hit with his 'Past The Point of Rescue', things are certainly buzzing for Round Tower.

Over the next few months, there are releases due from Kieran Halpin, Gary Hall and the enigmatic Josie Kuhn, among others. "I'm very excited by the quality of what's coming through," says Clive Hudson. "I think we can promise people some more great music."

What more can you ask for?

• The sleeve pic for Kieran Halpin's eagerly anticipated new album The Rite Hand