Matt Rossner

Imagine Paul Simon and Paul Kelly had a baby, went on tour together in NZ and the Finn brothers adopted him. That kid is now a fully-grown man named Tommy Pickett. This album is a shaggy-dog story, told with a wry smile. It's a spontaneous cross-country drive in a clapped out van, a campfire singalong that ends with a warm sleeping bag and a belly full of wine. The best songs here are the impossibly catchy and occasionally hilarious No Compromises, the bluesy, wistful Killeen and the title track Rivertown. The quiet closer Terrified is also a gem. If there's a criticism here, then it's that the album is just a little too laidback for its own good. Pickett writes some damn-near perfect pop songs, but his performance never really picks up the urgency that some of those songs are crying out for, and the production - otherwise excellent - follows his lead. The result is that tunes which should have you leaping out of your chair to dance, merely get your toes tapping. But these are small gripes. This is an album that rewards you with every new listen. Give it a go and you'll be humming the tunes for weeks.