Young Marc Carroll is already a veteran of the Dublin indie scene, having served his time in the underachieving pop combos Puppy Love Bomb and The Hormones. The vagaries of fame being what they are, however, he's probably still best known for a cameo appearance in Friends a few years back. Undaunted, he's now embarked on a solo career - and this engaging debut album finally proves what his champions have claimed all along: Carroll is a pop craftsman of huge ability. Mixing the folk sensibility of the Byrds with the glittering melodicism of the Lightning Seeds, his summery songs have a classic feel that makes them extremely easy on the ear. On the downside, he still doesn't have a particularly distinctive voice - and his somewhat disjointed lyrics suggest that he's often less than entirely sure what he's trying to say. Carroll's talent is certainly not in question - but you have to wonder if his personality will be strong enough to sustain himself in such a competitive business.
