Dramatico (label)
28 March 2011 (released)
20 February 2011
"Sometimes the world is a small place, sometimes it's not"; that is the rather unpromising opening line to this debut effort from Duncan Townsend. However the hope that it can only get better after that thankfully proves true.
'Painted Like A Picture' is a slow reflection on this well travelled singer songwriter's last few years. Having spent time in Germany on a doomed relationship and then sleeping on friends' floors, Townsend has eventually ended up touring with Katie Melua as well as German legend Nena, so he knows a good tune.
Stronger lyrics follow that opening: "I don't belong to a nation" refers to his nomadic recent history, making the singer sound slightly more world wiery than someone should on their first single.
The weakness here though is two fold. His voice lacks an edge and the production is too under-stated to give the song any spark. It's a shame because there's a great melody there, and perhaps stronger things will come on his album.
