CD Reviews: Dan Croll

Liverpool-based Dan Croll has turned the promise he showed as winner of a national Songwriter of the Year award into an opportunity to blend like melted butter into the worldwide stew of friendly-geek performers.

Attempting to disguise his debut album's lack of substance, he offers thin, electronic folk-pop facsimiles of material that the likes of Vampire Weekend and Band of Horses would have discarded as lightweight.

In short, there are nifty world music, soul and afrobeat touches but it's all a bit too clever and few songs besides opener From Nowhere will leave a lasting impression.