Herald rating: ***
(Polydor)
Review: Russell Baillie
That name might make him sound, er, brave but Eagle-Eye Cherry is bit of a softie really.
He showed that on his assured 1998 breakthrough debut album Desireless, his acoustic-framed rootsy pop-rock on hits like Save Tonight helping sell him some four million copies worldwide.
And clearly this multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter had something, other than just musical genes, being the son of late jazz trumpeter Don and sibling to 80s star Neneh, who puts in guest vocal or two this time round.
Living in the Present Future is generally more of the same and reasonably enjoyable for it.
Which means tracks driven by a lightly gritty folk-blues (the National Steel guitar -twangin' One Good Reason, the funky stomp of Together, the soul-grooved Miss Fortune) all of which suggest Cherry is a Ben Harper with real choruses.
And there are some mildly infectious acoustic-fired rockers (Are You Still Having Fun, Burning Up - the Save Tonight of the piece) with big sis helping out with a trademark vocal on Long Way.
However, a samey blandness creeps into much of the other material and their conservative arrangements, not helped by a lyrics that drops the occasional cosmic clanger into Cherry's sensitive guy scribblings.
Otherwise, Living is The Present Future is case of all right, for now.
<i>Eagle-Eye Cherry:</i> Living in the Present Future
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