It must be hard trying to gain a musical foothold these days. The My Space generation has brought with it a hitherto unrivalled accessibility to new music and a seemingly endless increase in the number of artists seeking our attention. An obvious downside to this situation is that there is a lot of music out that is worthy of wider attention and yet is largely ignored. Catie Curtis is a case in point. Sweet Life is her tenth album in a career spanning over 15 years and, sad to say, it is the first I have heard. More is the pity, for Curtis is blessed with an effortless and easy voice and a real knack for capturing the nuances, minutiae and realities of live, loves and relationships within a four minute song.

Sweet Life is not an album to leap out of the speakers at you and it is fair to say that some tracks move by almost unnoticed, but the stronger songs - such as the title track and the closing number 'Over' - have a real quality that draws you in and keeps you close. The albums two strongest tracks - 'For Now' and 'What You Can't Believe' - are both co-written with Fred Wilhelm and, though I am unsure who does what, here is a partnership worth pursuing. 'What You Can't Believe' in particular captures much of what is good about this album. A gentle, bluesy, laid back exploration of how the doubts in a relationship can often serve to highlight its strengths, it is a fine example of Catie Curtis's eye for detail. It also features some perfectly judged and truly excellent backing vocals on the chorus that should be an object lesson for all.

Not the greatest album I have heard all year - there is too much inconsistency for that - but at its best it is very good indeed.

Richard Hall