After a recent change of record label and the dubious honour of being featured in an advertising campaign for The Sun, the Irish singer-songwriter senses her time has come.
‘New Boots’ is chock full of well-constructed mid-Atlantic rock, with Bird’s honest zeal fighting for airspace amidst the ‘everything-but-the-kitchen-sink’ production. It’s only when the production team have slunk off home, leaving Bird with a guitar and her thoughts, that the latent talent shines through; ‘Measuring Cities’ has an exquisite sadness, and ‘Made Of Sugar’ is haunting, whispered country-folk.
But elsewhere Bird’s passion tips into desperation; ‘Can Opener’ contains a chorus so strained it’d make Bonnie Tyler wince, while ‘Berlin’ sounds like KT Tunstall in dire need of throat lozenges.
5/10
Words by John Freeman
