Sarah Cracknell’s second solo album is a very different animal from her first, which believe it or not, was 18 years ago! The Saint Etienne vocalist takes a much more acoustic line here, and it suits her – whether singing alone or with the Manics’ Nicky Wire, who she teams up with to good effect on ‘Nothing Left To Talk About’. There are some really good songs here, including the stately ‘Underneath The Stars’, ‘Take The Silver’ and the winsome ‘Hearts Are For Breaking’. ‘In The Dark’ gives a good example of the subtle but really effective orchestration at work here, and it’s that attention to detail in the production that gives the songs that extra bit of guile. Cracknell sings from the heart, endearingly so, with songs like the apologetic ‘The Mutineer’ really hitting home. Good summer music but with added depth.
5 out of 5
Reviewed by Ben Hogwood
