Reviewed by Tony Cummings

Lots of musical influences on this one – which I suppose you’d call a mainstream album (not that it’s too likely to make it into HMV). Lyrics aren’t Richard’s strong point (eg, how many times have you heard a couplet like, “Everybody needs a helping hand/Everybody needs to understand”?). But gutsy aplomb he has in abundance. Richard’s voice is battered and bruised on “Madagascar” – a “Weather Blues” complete with silly and rather off-putting sound effects. The one track which really works for me is the manic blues rocker “Smoker”. This is more pop rock in style than acoustic-orientated. And in truth the lack of strong production values and too much zany humour make it the Richard O’Conor Project’s least enjoyable album.