Badly Drawn Boy - All Possibilities Reviewed 21.04.03

In an industry where success is so heavily based around marketing an image, Badly Drawn Boy cuts an incongruous figure, as an unshaven, wooly hatted pop icon. Damon Gough fits the criteria for a busker far more closely, and it is this career move he volunteers for in the 'All Possibilities' video.

Gough was filmed standing outside Paddington Station busking all day for little more than thirteen pounds as reward for his trouble. Either people are very miserly or they recognised his celebrity status and balked at adding to his mountains of cash.

Another option is that the Badly Drawn Boy performance was just not up to scratch. Played as a solo acoustic song 'All Possibilities' would certainly lose some of its magic, because as a recording there is no scrimping on the production values, with sublime horn and string orchestration backing another delicious Gough melody.

The bonus tracks are Radio One sessions that are must have songs for any Badly Drawn Boy fans that failed to pinch them from the original broadcast. Gough's acoustic cover of 'Let The Sunshine In' from the musical 'Hair' benefits from swirling organ embellishments. 'Where Were You' is another previously unreleased slice of effortlessly melodic Badly Drawn acoustic nonsense.