Albums: Calling Out to You, The sore feet song, Off The Radar

*Ally Kerr's new album - OFF THE RADAR - out now* "Inspired....jangles with all the rainy loveliness of Belle and Sebastian" - UNCUT magazine “A great new songwriting talent from Scotland” – Bob Harris, BBC “A sparkling tunesmith” – Metro “Beautifully melancholic” – Press Association "Kerr's songs meld the saccharin side of Belle and Sebastian with the kind of melancholy that Paul Simon's cat must feel at the end of a day's recording after milk and biscuits. They are beautifully written and wistful" - Sunday Herald. One of Scotland's fastest-rising songwriters returned to Japan in April 2008 for some shows - the third visit to play there in just four years.

Ally Kerr's success in Japan followed the release of his critically acclaimed debut album, much of which was written on planes, trains and automobiles as Ally travelled between the East Coast of the USA and the West Coast of Scotland. "Calling Out To You" was first released on Japanese label Quince Records and was included in a top Japanese music magazine's list of top 20 albums ever to come out of Scotland, sitting alongside the works of Orange Juice, Teenage Fanclub and Belle and Sebastian. During his first-ever headlining tour of Japan, Kerr received word that one of his songs was to feature as the theme tune to a major new Japanese animated TV series Mushishi, based on a hugely popular comic book.

The Sore Feet Song was released in Japan as a CD single and his fanbase in far-flung corners of the world is growing rapidly as a result of this exposure. A major karaoke company have added this track to their catalogue and new converts in China, Japan and the USA have been eager to find out more. The series is set to air in at least five more countries and was released on DVD in America last summer.

All of this comes after his self-funded debut album, Calling Out To You was released in Japan and word of its beauty quickly spread. The singer/songwriter's international profile rose another notch after he was selected to play at the 2006 North by North-East music festival in June, Canada's biggest and most important music festival, rivalling South by South-West in Austin, Texas. The home team finally took notice and Calling Out To You received a full UK-wide release on Neon Tetra Records in 2005.

Although echoes of Belle & Sebastian, The Concretes, Kings Of Convenience, Simon and Garfunkel and many other artists resonate, Kerr's style is singularly distinctive. Scotland on Sunday recognised him as "one of the most interesting and creative musicians working in the country right now" in its rundown of the hottest new Scottish talent. Melodious, heartfelt, beautiful, sad and quirky are adjectives regularly used to describe the record.

The release of the album followed the critical success of his limited edition debut EP, Midst of the Storm, which was released on 7-inch white vinyl by cult Spanish label Elefant Records (Lambchop, Camera Obscura) and garnered airplay around the world. BBC Radio 1's John Peel was one such DJ who championed Kerr's early work on his shows. Kerr released his new album - Off The Radar - on Much Obliged Records and in Japan on the Ultra-Vybe label.

Songs from this album have been played live at recent shows and received a great reaction, with many agreeing that this album is a step up from the much lauded debut.

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