Martin Craft: Silver and Fire (Longtime Listener/Rhythmethod)

Okay, let's just hear what the British press had to say about this, the debut album from an Australian singer-songwriter now living in London.

"Simply captivating" --- The Sun

"A refreshing breeze to ruffle all preconceptions" -- Time Out

"Divine!" -- The Observer

"Pop never had it so good" -- The Fly

"Fantastic" -- Vice

You get the picture.

And names checked in other reviews as references include Elliott Smith, and this from Uncut: "a poised, leisurely amalgam of late-night soul, Gainsbourg-like pop and Craft's fine voice . . . these are songs that warrant the attention of James Blunt fans, if only to remind them of how dazzling singer-songwriter pop can be".

And we might only add, how diverse it can be too because here Craft ranges from Latin balladry to eerie bedsit pop to strumming alt.folk and so on.

Classically trained and a member of the paisley pop band Sidewinder, Craft has honed his styles over a decade and this album is the result of a confident, musically curious intellect. The album also comes with an eight-track extra disc for Australia and New Zealand which scoops up his debut EP and some B-sides.

It's a lot of Craft -- 19 songs - but believe me, he never outstays his welcome.