CD Reviews: Jake Bugg

The next saviour of Brit-pop, a new Dylan ... Nottingham's Jake Bugg has been proclaimed as various things since his self-titled album landed a year ago, taking the then 18-year-old straight to the top of the British charts.

With such fanfare, it's often best to wait a while, for a sophomore album perhaps. Well, Bugg doesn't disappoint.

His oft-declared love of Don McLean, Johnny Cash and the Everly Brothers is apparent as, in cahoots with producer Ric Ruben, he rummages through his own version of an Americana songbook (albeit one filtered via a youthful urgency), showing off guitar chops and his way with a word as well as a deft touch.

  • Jake Bugg. Shangri La. Universal.
  • Four stars out of five

Single download: Messed-Up Kids
For those who like: Ryan Adams meets Noel Gallagher

- Shane Gilchrist

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