Following up on his debut EP , Bahrain-born, London-based acoustic singer/songwriter makes his full-length bow with 2007's . Former leader of the political punks , 's solo records are more along the lines of very early : social-minded rants and more personal lyrics performed mostly on acoustic guitar with minimal accompaniment. is not 's equal as a wit: indeed, an almost painful earnestness permeates songs like "Father's Day," a standard-issue generation gap song culminating in the my-how-perceptive line "For better or for worse, I am turning into you." It's not all as wet as that, however: the rueful "Ladies of London Town" is a self-deprecating dating song, and "A Decent Cup of Tea" comes closest to 's knack for short story-like lyrical detail. The album's twin highlights are "Once We Were Anarchists," a wry tune about the passions of youth colliding with the real world, and the simply charming "Back in the Day," a tune about hardcore punk's glory days, played on the banjo, that recalls the more recent, folky side of . ~ Stewart Mason