KEVIN Rowland has had a curate's egg of a history with cover versions, ranging from the sublime, Dexys' R.E.S.P.E.C.T, through the bizarre Top Of The Pops farce with that Jocky Wilson photograph for Jackie Wilson Says, and onwards to 1999's solo album, My Beauty, when Kevin was daring to wear women's lingerie.

Now, the revived Dexys follow up 2012's magnificent return, One Day I'm Going To Soar, with a somewhat pompously titled "Irish and country soul" set, where the Irish pieces, the instrumental Women Of Ireland, Curragh Of Kikdare and the beautiful, mournful finale, Carrickfergus, work best, some 32 years after Rowland abandoned his idea to do a post-Too-Rye-Ay Dexys' album called Irish.

The largely mid-paced "country soul" selections by Rowland and co-producer Sean Read are more erratic: The Bee Gees' To Love Somebody and Johnny Cash's 40 Shades Of Green are burningly soulful, but You Wear It Well and Diane Warren's How Do I Live don't fare so well.