8

An easy two and a half minutes of sleepy serenity

Croaky Stephen Fretwell joins that old crowd of sandpaper-voiced ballad singers, which populated by the Rod Stewarts, David Grays, Kelly Jones' and Damien Rices of this world, plus that guy from Elbow, and if I'm honest, Mr Fretwell is my pick of the bunch at this present moment, but that's not saying too much...

'New York' is a nice reminiscent song, it's a got a vintage feel about it and not in a naff way like anything by Cliff Richard, it's got strings, and a straining voice and the obligatory acoustic guitar and it's nice enough to listen to, even it seems a little removed from what's happening...

Yes indeed, imagine being in a cosmopolitan bar and that old palpable sound of the stereo ambling away in the background, well that's probably this song, it's good for those that want to be hip though they're not, to listen to as it's still 'alternative' but not in a brash way... No no, it's a fine song, the end trails off after not enough recitals of the hooky bit, but apart from that aesthetic flaw, it's an easy two and half minutes...