He may have a touch of the singer-songwriters about him, but there's no whining, no introverted self-absorbtion, and no miserable-ism surrounding New Yorker David Mead.

Instead, there are classic guitar hooks aplenty, residing amid upbeat arrangements that could have come straight out of 1984 and sound refreshingly bright as a result. Check out the rush of 'Telephone' or the sweeping 'Everyone Knows It But You' for soaring, literate pop which does more than hint that our Mr Mead could well be the Lloyd Cole of the new millennium.

His multi-faceted songwriting approach, welded to an immense talent and a conscious attempt not to take himself too seriously, will hopefully mean we're seeing a lot of young Mr Mead throughout 2001.