Kudos to Megson for creating an album that’s had the British critics salivating over the songwriting and arrangements, not to mention the voices of Stu Hanna and Debbie Palmer, who intertwine so naturally you’d think they’d been working together all their lives. The thing is, it’s not quite as glorious as some would have you believe. The first several tracks are excellent, dipping from alt-country to folk, but a little past the halfway mark, it all begins to fall apart a little, as if they’d run out of inspiration and are just getting by on hard graft. But in that first half there’s some real beauty, like “Follow It On,” which has an aching lilt, or the title cut which brings an alt country vibe to a British locale. The arrangements are quite simple — basic, even — but effective and satisfying, as on “Just as the Tide,” which owes a lot to the English tradition. For a second effort it’s excellent, if not perfect, and shows real talent breaking through. This is enough to get them noticed, the acid test will be what they do next. – Chris Nickson