
After such a promising start to his career, Damon Gough has faltered in the bid to maintain his excellent early form. Two albums released within six months of each other didn't help matters and it was perhaps not too surprising that the 'About A Boy' soundtrack - even taking account of the incidental instrumentals - was arguably less patchy than the "proper" second album 'Have You Fed The Fish?'. Frustratingly, 'One Plus One' continues the Badly Drawn Boy tradition for consistency in inconsistency. Therefore for every Nick Drake-inspired slab of melancholy ('Easy Love', 'This Is That New Song') there is an over-the-top dose of happiness like the sugary sweet childrens' vocals on the already saccharine single 'Year Of The Rat' whilst the eight minutes given to kitchen-sink finale 'Holy Grail' reeks of self-indulgence. Once again there's a surfeit of short tracks which end before they even start and too many songs lack the addictive melodies that made his first album so cherishable. Infact, just like the title of the album suggests, the sums just don't add up.