Liam Frost – 'We Ain't Got No Money, Honey, But We Got Rain' (Emperor Records) Released 28/09/09

Hailing from the inclement climes of Manchester and released as the country battles the uncertainty of recession three years since his promising debut, Liam Frost’s second album, a body of developed ambition and lyrical dexterity long harboured by the now twenty-five year old, is an aptly titled one.

Cutting his teeth at an early age by playing every snug, dive, den, and gin palace that the metropolis had to offer, the Mancunian balladeer alongside his band The Slowdown Family eventually gained a deserved reputation far removed from that of his two-a-penny peddling contemporaries. But hushed plaudits, whispered recognition and genuine excitement aside, Liam Frost seemed to vanish from the flickering spotlight almost as soon as he had appeared.

In hindsight and with his latest release in mind his disappearance was probably a good thing; overnight success stories rarely live up to expectation and sincerity only rings true when sincere. Like his 2006 debut, ‘We Ain’t Got No Money, Honey, But We Got Rain’ bears the telltale hallmarks of underlying turmoil, loss and regret; ‘Sparks’, ‘Shipwrecks’, ‘Skylark Avenue’ and the open to interpretation style of ‘Leading Lights And Luminaries’ in many ways therapeutically laying ghosts of the past and demons of the present to rest.

His second long-player is however largely more sanguine, a positive return proudly announced with ‘Held Tightly In Your Fist’ where optimistic guitars chime alongside purposeful bass lines. The upbeat outlook extended as the distinctively evocative protagonist tackles the anxieties of life with dynamic punctuation, before the infectious grin spreading ‘Good Things’ and swirling brilliance of ‘Your Hand In Mine’ featuring Martha Wainwright, attempts to make backing vocalists out of us all.

With little time for trivial melancholy or burdensome lament, the emotive nostalgia weaved into Frost’s lyrical web, is at once recognisable, instantly accessible and vividly engaging, the provocative honesty bestowed by his unassuming yet grand design ensuring pure listening pleasure.

Whether or not his next offering will take another three years in the making remains to be seen, but with a talent that can confidently draw premature sky scraping parallels, Liam Frost, with any luck, is already penning his next spectacular move.