This is a follow-up to an album that came out last year; they gave away the last one and we guess the same is true of this. It came out before lockdown, so now they can’t even give it away. The songs are by Tim Fredericks and his band, who are from Crewe, Macclesfield, Stoke and Manchester.

It’s a collection of songs from over the years and the CD divides into two, professionally recorded band songs and more DIY acoustic tracks.

The opener is Stranger On A Train, a classic we think was on the last album. It’s a stonker, fast-paced and melodic with some excellent guitar from Shaun Lowe but also a good bassline from, er, Shaun Lowe. If Fredericks’ band could have got this onto a dad-rock or soft rock driving compilation CD, it would have been their pension plan.

Track two is Sad And Lonely Women, a more mournful country song asking Why Women Don’t Like Tim, or least don’t want to marry the narrator of the song. The melody is a bit like a slowed-down Big Yellow Taxi. It’s lyrically very bitter.

Also good is the bluesy rocky Daisy In The Midday, more good guitar from Lowe. Something In Her Heart is more of a ballad / mid-tempo tune and is followed by Eastgate Street and then Wolverhampton, a melodic and likeable tribute to the town possibly least likely to inspire the poetic.

After the six band songs – which would make a fine EP – come acoustic songs, initially with two acoustic guitars, and they’re not bad at all: thoughtful and pleasant, with interesting lyrics, although more expensive made band tracks sound better.

They’re all pretty good but Trying To Be Brave, with Clare Howell on vocals is excellent.

If you’re a fan of singer-songwriters it’s well worth the cost of emailing Tim; the band songs are all very good, the rest more DIY but still enjoyable.

Email Tim Fredericks at tim1252@live.co.uk