Fear of Height

It's a mixed bag of delights, this. The opening track sounds like nothing so much as an unreleased George Harrison demo (and that's a good thing) and the "I, Me,Mine" theme is extended throughout the album where Devany makes a first person appearance in every song, generally pretty much by the close of the first line.

He's certainly a writer who wears his heart very much on his sleeve and personal politics, with both big and small "P's" run through the heart of this record. At times the effect is that of the dinner guest who's wandered off from the table, picked up a handy acoustic and decided to play you his latest demos, and at other times you feel as if you're listening to some odd hitherto-unannounced Peter Gabriel retro-styled unplugged album.

In the case of the former, it's tempting to carry on eating and let him get on with it, but in the case of the latter you really do have to put your fork down and pay attention to what he has to say - and John Robin Devany *always* has something to say.

The two are split, generally, by the presence of attentively-brushed drums and sprightly bass and, throughout, the guitar playing is never less than understatedly tasteful, whether on acoustic, slide, or rare electric excursions. Highlights include the opening "I Could Be You" and "Guantanamo Bay", and track two "We Sing" is just a stadium set-closer waiting to be taken by the neck and wrung into life by a bigger and louder band - Runrig, say...