Cassette - The Jingle King

Rating: * * * *

They don't come more dulcet and down-home than Cassette. That's what comes from being a bunch of laid-back fellas with a love of country music, jaunty porch songs and rock'n'roll.

If you need a clue as to how laid-back these guys are, then calling your mid-album instrumental Instrumental is an indication. And guitarist and singer Tom Watson (ex-Head Like A Hole), and drummer Craig Terris - who started the band out in 2000 - are not the most prolific chaps with The Jingle King only their second album following 2006's excellent slacker serenade Cut For Summer.

But their songs are so loveable. There's an irresistible charm when Watson's lazy lilt combines with sweet lyrics like "I got a bag of hatred, and a bottle full of charm' (on cool and cruisy Shadow). Then there's a stunning song like Say Goodbye, with its down-in-the-mouth slide guitar and delicate pacing making it the perfect romantic campfire song.

They play up to their noisier rock roots and Watson and Terris's enduring passion for AC/DC, with the extra heavy-handed thud behind Close To Me and Our Dream. The 10 tracks might meander but these tunes are played with a power and grunt that owes as much to Johnny Cash as AC/DC.

Scott Kara