It is hard to believe that Nick Lowe’s seminal 1979 release Labour Of Lust has largely been missing in action for the past 20 plus years. The 2008 double reissue of his debut Jesus Of Cool and Pure Pop for Now People showed that Lowe could churn out a pop hook with little difficulty. Here though, the vibe of tracks like Cracking Up, You Make Me and the amusing American Squirm show the songwriter could also have darker tones in his songs without sacrificing the pop accessibility of his material. Cruel To Be Kind is an obvious highlight on the disc and is one of Lowe’s most popular tracks to date and is the absolute icing on a still relevant release.