Q September 2011

3*

Folk-rooted debut from wistful young troubadour.

Offering introspective song-writing of the kind you might find in a festival tent at 1pm on a Sunday, the debut album from 24-year-old gilder Sam Brookes is a pleasant enough meander through acoustic folk-blues melancholy. His influences are impeccable – Tim Buckley, Ber Jansch, Nick Drake, – and he generates an engaging sense of cosmic wonder on Doors and Like a Butterfly. However, in an overcrowded field of singer-songwriters – the nu-folk scene is hardly suffering from a dearth right now – with their hearts on their sleeves, it’s hard to hear the distinctive pulse that might set Brookes apart. VICTORIS SEGAL