Has there ever been a more unlikely Christmas number one than 'Mad World'? A mournful piano ballad, with woebegone lyrics and a vocal performance that was a dead ringer for Michael Stipe, it was certainly the perfect antidote to the season's forced jollity. And if nothing else, it should ensure that Gary Jules sells plenty of copies of his new album (it was first released two years ago, but nobody was interested back then). Those expecting more of the same from Trading Snakeoil For Wolftickets, however, will be sorely disappointed. It's a middling collection of gentle, acoustic folk tunes, reminiscent of Simon and Garfunkel but without their lyrical quality (most of the songs detail the writer's rather dreary life in downtime Los Angeles). When 'Mad World' finally arrives, as the closing track, it feels as if it's from another record entirely. Pleasant enough - but on this evidence, it looks as if Gary Jules has got one-hit wonder written all over him.
