Mantler - Monody (Tin Angel)

It’s been six years since Canadian singer Chris A Cummings - aka Mantler - released Landau (album no. three, preceded by 2000 debut Doin‘ It All and 2002‘s Sadisfaction) but at a time when useless digitally ‘enhanced’ singers occupy vast swathes of airtime, it’s a joy to hear a set of vocal chords that send shivers up your spine.

Blend the richness of John Martyn or Scott Walker, the world-weariness of Bill Callahan and the fragility of Rufus Wainwright. Set it into a musical backdrop that oozes a sort of sun-drenched West Coast vibe - Steely Dan’s name came up for earlier albums - chuck in flutes, Hammond and synth strings and move along at a tempo varying from lounge to lollop.

Star turns include the ravishing opener 'Fortune Smiled Again', the gently swinging 'Also Close To The Rainbow', the Hammond-fuelled 'Maiden Name' and the delicious Scott Walker homage of 'In Stride'.

The more pared-back reflectiveness of 'Author' provides a well-judged pause from the lushness, while only 'Crying At The Movies' and 'Mount Shasta' come close to letting the side down.

Even on a weaker track like 'Breaking Past The Day', the staccato 70s keyboard hooks have retro appeal - an influence that applies to much of an album whose surface simplicity conceals a deceptive well-spring of seductiveness.