James Walsh possesses one of the richest most distinctively strong voices in modern music. With just a bit of the whiskey and ashtray rasp of Kelly Jones of the Stereophonics, and the range and breadth of Richard Ashcroft, he could sing passages from Madonna's children's books and it would be enough to make a woman swoon.

As for the rest of Starsailor, Barry Westhead (keyboards) James Stelfox (bass), and Ben Byrne (drums), they weave a pretty large and lavish nest for Walsh's vocals to roam. Some general comparisons if you missed their 2002 debut Love is Here, would be Coldplay, Verve and Travis (circa 2000), if these bands are your cup of tea then you're no doubt going to like these guys.

Silence Is Easy isn't any kind of significant departure from the sound they established with Love is Here. With the exception of the opening track it's mostly down tempo, plaintive, tuneful, British-ish alt-pop. Which isn't to say they haven't matured. They're sophomore effort is a good bit more confident, adventurous and varied, and Walsh's lyrics have improved (though not his strength). More importantly he's gotten better at using his Godsend of a voice to work those hauntingly beautiful sad notes, the ones that Buckley, Yorke and Chris Martin seem to find so regularly.

The beauty of this record is that it finds a great new band giving it their all to gain the recognition they deserve. Remindful of the second albums of Radiohead and Travis. There's no annoying experimentation - they're throwing fastballs over the plate. For now they're flexing their muscles and looking to prove themselves - particularly to the U.K. press, who haven't given them as warm a welcome as they really deserve. This is a great band, and save for a little bit too much cheesy orchestration, they've made a wonderful record. They played at Sundance in 2002 and Harry O's was so packed that not even a big shot like myself was able to get in. Thus I braved the cold and listened to their set from outside the doors, barely keeping hypothermia at bay by warming myself by the egos of those who were allowed to walk on in. (I'm talking to you Aiden Quinn, you short little monkey).

An important item of interest in case you just want to download these tunes illegally, is that the CD comes with a fantastic documentary that chronicles the making of the album. It was recorded upon the same hallowed ground where the Beatles recorded down Abbey Road way, and the title track was produced by Phil Spectre. There's plenty of live footage and sound bytes from the band members and if anything it gives you a much better understanding of just how gifted and important Starsailor is. They're going straight to the top. Trust me these lads have got the shit. They're sick with it.