Tug of War, Reekus Records ***

Oddly, some people are pitching Kilkenny singer Deetrich (aka Dee Doyle, formerly of much admired band Dali) as a hazy, lazy Americana artist. We don't hear much of that on her debut, but what we do hear are faint traces of Gillian Welch and Lucinda Williams rubbed out of existence by some appealing and wonderfully woozy slow- motion soundscapes. Songs such as Can't Sleep at Night, Bent Out of Shape, the title track and Maybe It's Time proffer the notion of druggy, foggy displacement and disconnection while also offering up their respective souls to heaven. In other words, it's a little bit of this, a little bit of that, and a whole lotta bliss, as Doyle's assertive voice tackles topics that complement the lyrics. The album falters on its weaker tracks (No Job, No Money and Yellow Radio) but overall there's little doubt that Doyle is on to a winner. myspace.com/deetrich

Download tracks: Bent Out of Shape, Tug of War, Red Blooded Male