folk/rock

SMITHEREENS, NICK HARPER (QUIXOTIC)

Were success earned purely on singing, songwriting and guitar playing talent, Harper would be a megastar. Produced by Squeeze's Glenn Tilbrook, this tightly-focused, band-based third album courts mainstream radio plays without compromising lyrical intelligence on everything from parenthood to politics, straddling electropop to torch song while the acoustic title track gives a flavour of Harper's devastating solo concerts.