Jose Gonzalez - 'In Our Nature' (Peacefrog) Released 24/09/07

'Veneer' appeared in Spring 2005 to critics' acclaim yet returned trickling sales until the Sony Bravia ad featuring 'Heartbeats' and 25,000 coloured balls bouncing down a steep San Francisco street brought widespread exposure, spawning the platinum sales which only Arctic Monkeys were able to match in the same year. Undoubtedly a double-edged sword, whether to permit a track to be used for an advert - David Byrne and Talking Heads refused steadfast for any of their tracks to be used for advertising on account that it'd always be linked imagistically in people's minds with that advert and hence no longer remain your song. But hey, it was The Knife's song anyhow - double whammy Jose!

Working with Zero 7 on their 'The Garden' album leant Jose's voice to some of their finer songs, but 'In Our Nature' continues with the minimalist acoustic timbres explored on 'Veneer' - patient and melodic acoustic guitar rhythms accompanied by lite percussion, hand claps and keyboard minutae allowing Jose's voice and guitar-work a fine and unadorned expression that's varied and inspired, bridging folk-song with classical styles and hypnotic renditions that draw from the Cuban maestro Silvio Rodrigeuz.

'In Our Nature' gets busy with universal themes of the human condition, our place in the world and bypassing songs about love, opening by addressing the body-politik on 'How Low' - "...feeding a monster...invasion after invasion..." to a lilting guitar, gathering pace for the hypnotic 'Down the Line' with a riffing number about owning your problems, making mistakes and moving on - "...I see problems down the line/ I know that they're mine..." while the guitar shimmers. Our warring natures are addressed somewhat simplistically but with melody on 'Killing For Love' - "..you've got a heart filled with passion/ will you let it burn for hate or compassion..." to dexterous finger pickin' guitar work, whilst title track 'In Our Nature' has a world-weary tone with a Nick Drake-lean and minimalism, a touch of 60's idealism in the lyrics - "...put down your sword/ send home your dogs/ open up your doors...".

Jose comes up trumps with some alchemy again on a cover of Massive Attack's 'Teardrop' in his unmistakable fashion - no harpsichord here or Liz Fraser, just Jose with a psychedelic-folk interpretation note perfect, reminding of Linda Perhacs finest moments - "Love, love is a verb/ Love is a doing word/ Fearless on my breath..." and a visceral potency that sets the heart pumping and the body swirling.

'Abram' - "...your stories are all long/ your information is slow..." provides a dainty stocking-filler and the summery 'Time To Send Someone Away' delights in its rhythm and sets the hips to a shimmer with its hand claps and sensuous guitar "...that summer rain/ it's in your face again...". 'The Nest' with a nature tune again evokes the ghost of Nick Drake augmented by twiddly wiggly keyboards, whilst 'Fold' owes more to the reflective moments of Simon and Garfunkel - "...please don't let me down this time/ I've come a long way to just fall into line..." set to a day-dreamy slow delivery, and closing track 'Cycling Trivialities' packs an urgency in its message - "...who cares then/ 100 years from now/ who'll remember all the players/ who'll remember all the clowns..." that puts our ephemeral concerns in perspective.

Where 'Veneer' lacked a certain depth in the songwriting department despite its' musical charms, the universalism of 'In Our Nature' provides essential listening for the care-worn and may well prove to be the darling acoustic release of the year. Jose's clearly come some way in the songwriting and with a simultaneous release in 35 countries, the populist impact of 'In Our Nature' is likely to eclipse Jose's previous work and provide a wider audience for this most pure and mesmerising of albums.