Guitarist John Spinks, who writes all the songs for his band, the Outfield, has a genuine gift for the pop hook. In the context of the clean but rarely slick atmosphere that producer William Wittman has erected around Spinks's canny takes on mainstream rock styles, the songs ring clearly as the band plays like a slightly harder-rocking Men at Work (they should fit well – and profitably – into the market vacuum created by Men at Work's absence). Unfortunately, Spinks has nothing to say. Throughout Play Deep, his hooks are continually undermined by inane and clichéd lyrics – he writes about imageless photographs, faces in the crowd and traps "sealed by your lips." When he tries to get "heavy," as he does on "Your Love," which seems to advocate philandering, the repulsive misogyny contaminates the whole song.

All this is a shame, because there's genuine talent being wasted here. Tony Lewis's singing shames what he's forced to convey, and Alan Jackman's drumming makes even the slower songs rock out. If Spinks were to hook up with a lyricist whose feel for words matched his own agility with melodies, he could be leading a first-rate band. (RS 477)

JIMMY GUTERMAN