Catch the Brass Ring

Singer/songwriter Ferraby Lionheart's debut album Catch the Brass Ring is an earthy and melodic collection of folky Baroque pop. Showcasing Lionheart's sweetly yearning vocals and quirkily imagistic lyrics, the album is a heartfelt mix of intimate piano and guitar driven pieces that often grow into larger moments punctuated by deft horn and string arrangements. In that sense, Lionheart will most surely draw favorable comparisons to such iconic '60s artists as the Beatles, Harry Nilsson and Brian Wilson. In truth, Lionheart's melodic pop most closely resembles the work of Elliott Smith and in that sense, fans of Smith should find much to enjoy here. Tracks such as "Small Planet" and "The Car Maker" are nothing short of minor and melancholy would-be classics in their own right and the similarly engaging "Under the Texas Sky" is a bittersweet lullaby that recalls the ghost of Townes Van Zandt. Interestingly, while Lionheart largely sticks to delicate pop he does mix things up with a bit of country twang and even some New Orleans street beat rhythms. While somewhat low-key and not as outwardly hip as the work by some of his more rock-oriented contemporaries, Lionheart's Catch the Brass Ring is nonetheless a sparkling little grower of an album.