Based in London but from Portugal originally, Spinous has released his debut album "Searching for You". You get ten tracks of straightforward pop music that have their inspiration somewhere between Europe and the good old USA. "Ana" is a straight down the middle of the road love song. It's been done a thousand times before but Spinous manages to make it convincing and "Come Back to Me" is lighter and fluffier with a pleasingly memorable hook that makes it a perfect accompaniment to a white wine spritzer.
You can't really dislike this album. The songs are, for the most part, average. The production and arrangements are derivative and low budget but the fact is that Spinous can certainly sing. Despite his awkwardness with the English lyrics at times, he puts a serious amount of effort into his performance and that makes all the difference. With a bit of care and attention, he could well make the break into the big time. Perhaps an odd judgement to make but there is definitely something special about him.