John Grant

Queen of Denmark, Bella Union ***

Fans of captivating, enticing voices will probably already have met John Grant and his rich, emotive baritone via his Denver band The Czars. A few years ago after they called it a day, Grant hooked up with Midlake, moved to their hometown of Denton and worked on his solo debut album with the Texans as his backing band.

Naturally enough,

Queen of Denmark

does dwell in that Venn diagram joining both of the above acts. Over a beautifully applied batch of 1970s-hued soft-rock, Grant sings songs of fear, despair and hope. It’s no secret that he has had dark, depressing episodes with drugs and alcohol, but it’s clear here that he sees

Queen of Denmark

as a shot at redemption.

Whether it’s the glorious simplicity of

I Wanna Go to Marz

and

Where Dreams Go to Die

or the bitter recoil of the title track, this is as elegant and shabbily poised as anything else Grant has put his name to.

See myspace.com/johnwilliamgrant

Download track: I Wanna Go to Marz