The Topp Twins - Honky Tonk Angel

Rating: * * * *

After the international success of their feature doco which reminded of their comedy chops, the Topps are capping off their very good year with this robust musical encore.

This new album, produced by Don McGlashan and backed by his band the Seven Sisters, has more warmth and character than many of their past studio excursions - which often seemed like polished souvenirs of their live sets but little more.

Sure, this covers some familiar territory - there's occasional outbreaks of cowboy-kitsch; though newly recorded some songs such as Calf Cub Day, Milestones, and Serious go way back, and there's more wild horses in the lyrics on this album than Susan Boyle's.

But there's a freshness to much of this, especially when they're breaking out of Topp-country mode for the anthemic balladry of World and Throw Down Your Guns, the two giving the set a effective change of gear and mood for its final tracks.

The start, though, is more typically Topps- the Patsy Cline tribute of the title track. But as they swing from their own lovely and lovelorn Palomino Moon and Mustang Mountain to heartfelt covers of Iris Dement's Infamous Angel, Kieran Kane's Town This Size and a particularly effective take on John Prine's Speed of the Sound of Loneliness, this soon starts feeling like something quite special.

Russell Baillie