Scott Laverne is an Essex man who portrays himself as a Jack the Lad with a weakness for drink, drugs and bad jokes.
His ragged, and frequently shouty, vocals are intended to bring some diamond geezer authenticity to the table but the gallows humour mostly falls flat.
The ten vaudeville-style ballads are billed as "songs of sorrow and hope" but, if anything, Laverne's attempts to make light of the deadbeat scenarios make them seem even sadder and more desperate.
Dogs Can't Play Cards is the whimsical title he gives to a song about his dad running off with the next door neighbour and while he may be able to banter about spending Christmas In The Asylum or being alone and friendless (My Breath Killed The Roses) it's hard to really see the funny side.
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To enjoy these songs you have to empathize with the singer as a lovable rogue.
Personally, I find them more depressing than uplifting.
Big Top Heartbreak's website
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