DAVID KITT
Not Fade Away Dublin Discs ****

It may be best to start by graphing out David Kitt's career in terms of his releases to date. Such a sketch would start off on a high thanks to his Small Moments debut, before taking an even steeper incline to his masterful The Big Romance album. But that's where the climbing stops. The graph would then head downwards to 2003's patchy Square One and nosedive completely with 2004's ill-considered and largely redundant covers album The Black & Red Notebook. Since then, Kitt has been engaged in much wound-licking and stock-taking, both creatively and in his personal life, so it's no understatement to say that much is riding on how this album is received.

Not Fade Away demonstrates that Kitt has finally figured out where his strengths as a musician and songwriter lie. Besides the tough, brooding mood in play on certain tracks, Kitt has also found his way back to the playful electronic backwash and the evocative, folk haze and hush of his earlier work. It's a heady mix, with tunes that soar high with innocent charm (One Clear Way, With You) and tracks that show a lot more bite and menace than Kitt has ever had at his disposal (I Know the Reason, Don't Fuck with Me). Above all else, Not Fade Away is the sound of vindication. That graph may well have to be altered again. www.davidkitt.com Jim Carroll