Baby Bird: "There's Something Going On" (Echo/ Universal Music) This wasn't supposed to happen. Stephen Jones, the reckless driving force behind Baby Bird, should have disappeared into oblivion after the success of You're Gorgeous, but the new Baby Bird album finds him in his usual dyspeptic humour, stalking around on the dark side of relationships and digging his lyrical knife into the flabby underbelly of modern life. The recent single, If You'll Be Mine, and You Will Always Love Me are anthems of obsession, every "la, la, la"is replete with creeping menace; All Men Are Evil mediates the gender wars with a mischievous grin. Baby Bird's mix of sweet pop and sour grapes is not always palatable, but sometimes it's a welcome tonic for jaded Britpoppers.
Leslie Dowdall: "Out There" (LD Records). At times Leslie Dowdall's largely self-penned album sounds like one song broken into 12 sections; even Hendrix's Angel walks the narrow musical and emotional terrain obviously preferred by Dowdall and her musicians. But what the album lacks in terms of dynamics is more than compensated for in terms of understated beauty. Sparkle, with its theme of familial despair, shows Dowdall herself in full artistic flight, and Coming Up Roses manages to sing of impending joy while sounding sad, thus perfectly capturing the duality of love. This Time Next Year goes one better, detailing hope, heartache and healing in the same song. And even if Freedom is irritatingly trite, overall, Out There finally proves that the band In Tua Nua produced at least one singer-songwriter with the potential for longevity.
Kaydee: "Stop! I'm Doing It Again" (Lime) Exactly what it is Kaydee are doing again is not quite clear, but perhaps the title refers to the fact that this Kilkenny band had to record the vocals for this debut album a second time, following the departure of their original singer. The band's new singer, Tara Egan-Langley, has the looks and the voice to bring this faceless act out into the forefront - all they need now is the extra edge to bring them further. The band's biggest Irish hit, Cradle, opens the account, and songs such as Eyes, Seven Days and All I Ever Wanted showcase Kaydee's talent for matching ethereal vocals with semi-grunge guitars. While the vocals and arrangements are immaculate, the music could sometimes do with a little spit and dirt if Kaydee want to avoid the safe indie option. Kevin Courtney
