Findlay Brown - Separated By The Sea Album Review

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

UK singer-songwriters form a great spectrum of talent these days, from the insipid James Blunt/ Katie Melua/ James Morrison end to the genuinely excellent Stephen Fretwell/ Lucky Jim end.

Despite Findlay Brown's own army story (he didn't join), he is no Blunt - instead Separated By The Sea sounds much more like an early Simon and Garfunkel disc, with a wonderful early-America/ Harry Nilsson feel, brought up to date by a little Iron & Wine. The album's strings and double-tracked vocals give it a distinct 60s feel.

Its initial sheen, however, isn't quite backed up by the songs - they're mostly good but not great folk songs, tinged with a kind of Big Brother Holding Company psychedelia. It is long on sound, but not quite so deep in quality. Brown is young (much younger than his voice suggests), and so has time to add to this impressive start.

Rating 7/10

Mike Rea