YOU have to settle for mellow with Heather Nova these days. There was a time, on 1998's Siren album, when she lit the touch-paper and was set to rocket off into the stratosphere.

There was airplay. You could hear London Rain jangling in the background in the caff on Corrie. But that rocket petered out before it got far.

Three years passed before the next studio album, and that shifted gears down so fast you would hardly recognise her. And yet, there's a warmth to Heather that makes her hard to ignore.

This album, complete with extensive contributions from Mercury Rev, shows it as well as any - especially on the lovelorn but insistent River Of Life or the soaring I Wanna Be Your Light.

When she cuts loose, Heather has a voice that can kick down doors. But this is too often background music, and that's a crying shame.

Updated: 11:37 Thursday, November 06, 2003