The Powerscourt TapesGobstopper Productions ***

After ducking and diving around the fringes of the national music scene for a few years, Irish singer-songwriter Hamlet Sweeney (his real name, apparently) has finally released his debut. Sweeney's songwriting and musicianship style is roustabout, robust and a little rough around the edges, but he gets his various points across with ease and no small level of charisma. Songs such as Mr Slimand Perfect Day(not the Lou Reed tune) exemplify the best side of Sweeney: effortlessly sweet and melodic, yet with a backbone as strong as steel, they are tailor-made for daytime radio play. Hamlet falters, lyrically, on I Am a Manand Voices in My Head,where he strongarms words into spaces too small to contain them, but he picks up the slack on the breezy Tie a Ribbonand Hey Girl(Oh La La). A solid debut, then – and really cool cover art (by Monika Mitkute).

hamletsweeney.com

Download tracks: Perfect Day, Tie a Ribbon