What in the name of baseball and apple pie does a South London lad know about Americana music anyway? Apparently plenty, as is evident on the third album by singer-songwriter Peter Bruntnell, who could offer a hint or two to American artists looking to make a splash in the same, seemingly watered-down genre. Recorded in Boston, Normal for Bridgwater (named in reference to a doctor's description of the healthier folks in the cider-drinking capital of Bridgwater, Somerset, UK) thrives on crystal-clear production and Bruntnell's fluent vocal delivery. A song such as "Lay Down This Curse" could be Paul Westerberg fronting Son Volt, whose Dave Boquist helps out on this record. Bruntnell's intimate songwriting of romance and loneliness sews the record's dozen songs together, and he plays his country straight on the banjo-fueled "How You Are," the pedal-steel feel of "NFB," and the honky-rockin' "Jurassic Parking Lot." But it's the pop-oriented selections that truly shimmer: allusions to Big Star's Sister Lovers ("Played Out"), the Scud Mountain Boys at 78 rpm speed ("Handful of Stars"), and soaring choruses ā la Teenage Fanclub ("By the Time My Head Gets to Phoenix"). --Scott Holter
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