While it's hip for contemporary pop acts to toss out
Burt Bacharach
's name as an influence, few even remotely approximate the master's melodic savvy, emotional resonance and simple elegance;
Plush
's
Liam Hayes
comes much closer to the mark, with his debut
More You Becomes You
-- an intimate, often gorgeous collection of piano ballads -- recalling the handful of solo records
Bacharach
cut during the late 1960s. Gentle yet disarming, the record's only hint of irony is in its title --
Hayes
smartly favors a less-is-more approach, stripping his music of virtually everything but piano and vocals; both are more than adequate to convey the somber beauty which lends the album its seductive powers. ~ Jason Ankeny