I'M caught in two minds here.

Are we experiencing an embarrassment of fortunes in the singer-songwriter stakes? Or is that low rumble the sound of the stampede for the bandwagon?

Take James Morrison, for example. He's got a cracking voice that, if you close your eyes real tight, occasionally sounds like Stevie Wonder, Otis Redding or some such R'n'B star (from the time when R'n'B really meant R'n'B rather than some popstrel's attempt at a ballad).

Not two weeks ago I wrote about Paulo Nutini in much the same terms. Ray Lamontagne is pretty darned good too... maybe the likes of James Blunt, Damien Rice and David Gray are all to blame.

Paulo and Ray are much better than Morrison in my opinion - much fresher, less sterile. Morrison sounds like he's been in a laboratory, being prodded and poked into the final article.

There's that massive single of his, You Give Me Something, which I agree is a bit of alright; very catchy, well produced and the necessary 'je ne sais quoi' to keep it interesting.

But apart from the album opener Under The Influence, which is a bit of a loose, piano-led boogy with groovy strings and a very catchy chorus, I couldn't recall one more song from this set of 13.

I do recall, however, sitting, listening and slowly feeling very bored. It's as if his voice is such a novelty that the producers are hoping it will carry some pretty darned bland songs.

He's like a male version of Joss Stone. Take from that what you will.