Justin Currie

"Hold on to your hats" sings Justin Currie at the start of this first taster of his third solo album, Lower Reaches. But don't worry if you're a fan of Currie's acoustic driven stories of love and loss, Little Stars is not a huge departure musically, so not too much hat holding needed.

Currie is offering this free download as a preview to his third solo album, which is being released on his own label in August. Always someone interested in affairs of the heart, Currie has written many a love song with his mix of lyrical poetry and soulful vocal. However, many of his ‘love’ songs are sprinkled with more than a dusting of bitter recriminations. Little Stars opens with a gentle programmed drum beat and piano before Currie's distinctive voice cuts in, but it is hard to know whether he is reflecting on a couple meant to be or if this is someone resigning themselves to the partner they are stuck with.

However you want to take the message (and as with all good poetry, the meaning that YOU take from it is the only one that's important, there is no wrong or right), Little Stars is a carefully crafted song. The falsetto chorus is particularly impressive, pushing Currie's vocal range to the edge. The song is one of a few tracks he has previewed at recent live shows but maybe not the strongest. It does whet the appetite for the new album though, and his forthcoming tour, when he will be performing his solo material and many songs from his Del Amitri catalogue - across the UK.