Tom Baxter is being touted in some over-excitable circles as the next Jeff Buckley. That's stretching things a bit far at this stage, but there's no doubting that the man from Cornwall-via-Suffolk has something to add to the singer/songwriter zeitgeist.
Thankfully, this limited edition release features songs with a tad more imagination than its title (what next, an album called Album?). My Declaration starts sparsely with acoustic guitar and lone vocal, but gradually builds in layers of complexity until it has developed into a full-blown epic with sweeping strings and a grandiose air of contemplation. Joanna is simple by comparison, both musically and lyrically, while Half A Man - recorded during Baxter's acclaimed residency at London's Bush Hall last year - is impressive in its execution and scope, and sees Baxter going beyond the fragile falsetto of the studio tracks.
During My Declaration, he sings: "I'm gonna be stronger / I'm gonna be better made." I have a feeling we'll be hearing a lot more from Mr Baxter by the time the year is out, particularly if he lives up to these promises on his debut album. Watch this space.
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