Review of Tom McRae Album by Tom Mcrae

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2. Tom Mcrae Tom McRae (Album; - db)
God, not yet another singer/songwriter using the same old tricks and singing the same old songs I hear you cry. But, dont be too hasty because, the fact that this particular singer/songwriter has beaten probably two dozen others and got himself a nomination for this years Mercury Music Awards, should mean he has an overdose of talent in some manner or other.

Listen absentmindedly to Tom McRaes debut and you could be forgiven for thinking that he is indeed just another of the aforementioned glut of singer/songwriters (although he does at certain points sound shockingly like Paul Simon in his Simon and Garfunkel days).

Dont expect to bowled over immediately by what you hear. You will be more than familiar with his candid approach to trimmed down folk instrumentation and there are no awe inspiring guitar solos or piano virtuosos to catch your attention.

But let the choruses gradually grow on you and, more to the point, listen to what hes saying. Because overall, the most important statement this album makes is about the significance of words - what they say and how they say it. From start to finish you are bombarded with an emotional torrent of language as Tom McRae covers topics of lost love (You Cut Her Hair) and politics (Bloodless) whilst also managing to sing with a depth of emotion that makes you believe every single one of his carefully chosen words.

A timeless album that may well be the start of a long and significant career.

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