The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter: Josh Ritter (V2 Records).

Josh Ritter's fourth album sees the Idaho singer-songwriter making big steps forward. There's a confidence and swagger here, which suggests he has his sights on greater commercial success and is up and ready for it.

Earlier albums have highlighted Ritter's excellent writing abilities - he has proved he can pen a finely-crafted song which makes you think. Arrangements have often been fairly sparse, sometimes just Ritter and his guitar.

The Historical Conquests album is different - here there is a much fuller sound; at times there is even a Beach Boys-type feel'.

Another theme is allowing the energy of a performance to shine through. Ritter has said of this album: "A lot of this record is an effort to capture moments when they were at their most passionate; to capture many different emotions that simply wouldn't work if we had ever tried to re-re-record them."

That shines through on the album's opener To The Dogs Or Whoever, seemingly recorded in a burst of creative energy and featuring lyrics which tumble over each other in their haste to get out. Next To The Last Romantic has a similar feel.

Minds' Eye and Right Moves contain catchy hooks and would make great singles. And for those who still love Ritter's quieter moments, there are The Temptations Of Adam, a Cold War era love song, and the beautiful Still Beating, featuring Ritter's superb acoustic guitar work.