Greg Trooper: Floating

By GRAHAM REID

(Herald rating: * * *)

One of the journeyman American singer-songwriters, Trooper only impressed in a minor way until his excellent Straight Down Rain two years ago.

Steve Earle, Billy Bragg and Robert Earl Keene who have covered his material are fans. Earle wrote the liner notes here and says he immediately learned Muhammad Ali after hearing Trooper play it live.

You can hear why it appealed to him: it finds loving depth in the greatness and sadness of Ali's life and message. There are some beautiful songs sprinkled around — the Celtic Inisheer with Maura O'Connell is very pretty — but aside from the dark, Raymond Carver quality of the title track and the general melancholy mood which pervades, this is a musically comfortable album.

Trooper's isn't a particularly distinguished or distinctive voice so you suspect soul baring tracks like the beautifully lean Apology might be better served by some of his many admirers.

Label: Sugar Hill