Gaze

Songwriter Heaton finally hits his stride with track four, the instant Beautiful South classic "Life Vs. the Lifeless" ("That's why cynics deep sea dive / Just to watch someone healthy lose breath"). "Let Go with the Flow" is understated but lyric heavy--something that has become a trademark over the years, but which needs addressing here. An editor is badly needed, something that's particularly evident on "101 Per Cent Man". Ideas and phrases are drowned in a biblical flood of words. The best is saved for both the album's end and Wheeler herself, who delivers a stunningly warm and evocative vocal on "Half of Him"--a stirring, sitting-out-under-the-stars, campfire song to which her voice is completely suited. If she'd been given more songs here, the album would have been much stronger. As it stands, this is fine for fans, but others could find it lacking. --Cortman Virtue