The Scunthorpe-born, Manchester-based singer/songwriter has been rather quiet for a couple of years, but this limited edition marks his reappearance ahead of his forthcoming second album in August.
Opening track The Scene seems to mark a move away from his traditional acoustic-backed music. It's an atmospheric, almost jazzy number with finger clicking and some terrific guitar effects. It's hardly the catchiest song (which makes it an odd piece for a comeback song) but it makes for an effective mood piece.
The other three tracks see Fretwell return to the style that we're more used to, just voice and acoustic guitar singing rather wistful songs, in the manner of Damien Rice. The best of these is probably the poignant Sleep, although anyone who can call a song William Shatner's Dog deserves extra credit.
To be honest, it's all a bit too low key and unassuming to make any real impression. If you bought Fretwell's Magpie album and played it to death, then this may well be of interest. Casual observers are more likely to see what the new album holds.
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