The ex-New York punk, checkout The Shams and The Last Roundup, has come of age with this thirteen track collection of witty, wordy adult rock monsters of melody.

Kicking off with Wait Till I Get You Home, described by Amy herself as ‘a positive upbeat song’, which is as happy as the poor emotionally downtrodden gal gets for the duration.

The second track, Happy For You drops the smiles for a tale of bemoaning and nostalgia (seems we don’t have a lot in common/since you went and found someone) .. it’s the man who’s living out the middle-aged fantasy (you’ve got stardust/I’ve got bills to pay) while the woman is left in emotional-limbo (cause it makes me feel/like I’m someone who/has been left behind).

Boy does Amy get frightening on standout track Balls. The poor perpetrator could even have dumped the narrator (I’ve been seeing a couple men/but they’re like me so I don’t want them/they have feelings …) .. so our anti-hero is in for the long haul (but I love your nerve). Phew! Da woman possesses a fork tongue .. though as a lyrical tool it’s never less than fascinating.

But this album doesn’t just score a five-out-five on lyrics alone. The playing on every track is impeccable and the production is clarity itself. Just a shame this sort of music has been demoted to the annals of Radio 2 and its ilk.

Beat down the doors of the ageist sound-system, or even better your local megastore, and buy a copy of The Sugar Tree. Life just don’t get much better than Amy Rigby. Don’t tell her mind, or we’ll never hear its like again!

www.amyrigby.com