Having performed with Corinne Bailey Rae on her European tour, Jack Savoretti released his debut album Between the Minds. From a young man who claimed he wrote poetry as a child and never even picked up a guitar until he was 16 years old, and having found that more people listened to him when he sang than if he recited poetry, it was a remarkably assured debut. 2007, however, was possibly the wrong time to release an album of acoustic ballads sung with a gruff voice — almost Leonard Cohen-ish in quality but in a higher register — for there were already a plethora of singer/songwriters in this genre, including Damien Rice, Ray LaMontagne, and Ben Harper, not to mention the kings of 2000s acoustic songwriting David Gray and James Blunt producing very similar albums. Consequently, Between the Minds got a little lost in the crowd, peaking at number 70 in the charts for just one week. After four songs, all acoustic ballads with a simple guitar picking backing, the track “Without” came along and introduced strings, followed by “Black Rain,” which actually sped up the pace a little, but then it was back to one man and his guitar for “Apologies” and “Soldier’s Eyes,” a poignant antiwar tale, and “Chemical Courage.” – Sharon Mawer