WillNo label **

Tír na nÓg's Leo O'Kelly releases his third solo album, hot on the heels of his first two, Glareand Proto. Its recurrent theme circles around obscure objects of desire, shrinkwrapped in time-warped arrangements redolent (mostly) of the late 1970s. The main difference is that, here, hypnotic Indian strings are evoked by way of synthesiser, and low-lying, insistent percussion is largely the product of a drum machine. O'Kelly's decision to collaborate with Liverpool lyricist/poet John McKeown yields some fine-boned storylines, but they fly better on the sleeve notes than in the songs, where O'Kelly's effortful arrangements and doom-laden vocal style swamp the sentiment. Vocalist Hetty Lane brings an occasional lightness, and long-time compadre Sonny Condell sidles up with some tasty African drum on Alcohol, but beneath the surface, the cogs can be heard turning too audibly to make for a coherent collection. See leookelly.ie

Download track: A Star In My Palm