After a bout with writer's block left most of what would have been the fifth Badly Drawn Boy album on the scrap heap, Damon Gough regrouped by writing a set of songs inspired by growing up in the United Kingdom. The results are Born in the U.K., an album that, of course, nods to Bruce Springsteen's rousing-yet-searching Born in the U.S.A. (the Boss is also thanked in the liner notes), but also feels like it's trying to win — and impress — as big an audience as possible. At times, Born in the U.K. is impressive, but not necessarily with its most ambitious moments. - AMG

1. (Swimming Pool) Born In The U.K.
2. Degrees Of Separation
3. Welcome To The Overground
4. A Journey From A To B
5. Nothing's Gonna Change Your Mind
6. Promises
7. The Way Things Used To Be
8. Without A Kiss
9. The Long Way Round (Swimming Pool)
10. Walk You Home Tonight
11. The Time of Times
12. One Last Dance