Sir Vincent Lone – Songs for Lonely Americans

Three out of five stars for the British Cooking Vinyl release of the first Lone album. The pseudonym allows the ex-Doll by Doll singer to experiment with American folk of the 1960s and to sidestep his own reputation. Praised are the pared-down, word-focused approach, the dry humour (Straight Outta Caledonia), the cold electronic Moscow Train, The Lights Below, The War Crimes of Ariel Sharon and especially In Search Of Stone. Criticism: lack of form, constant changes of mood, flagging momentum – the freedom of the project becomes its weakness; a “ragbag of fascinating scraps”.