Danny O' Donoghue sings like he belongs in a Maroon 5 cover band. Mark Sheehan's guitar playing has echoes of Coldplay. And Glen Power drums as if he's auditioning for David Gray. But it's short-sighted to compare The Script to their contemporaries — this Irish trio have more in common with fellow countryman Van Morrison.

A Hothouse Flowers for the 21st century, if you will, their debut album is a celebration of blue-eyed soul — beneath the occasional electronic bleep, overtly earnest Keane piano parts, and choruses of mass seduction, is a bleeding heart of '60s R&B.

With its quiet gospel-tinged intro before Donoghue's distinct voice takes full flight, 'We Cry' is classic melancholia ("I'm sick of looking for those heroes in the sky"). 'Before The Worst' adds charisma and authenticity to the One Republic template. And 'Talk You Down', all skittish rhythms and quiet desperation, is quite possibly the saddest singalong this side of The Eels.

Big bruiser 'Rusty Halo' resurrects some of the fire (and religious imagery) of Van the Man's 'Gloria', 'Fall For Anything' bursts with typical Irish passion, while quieter moments like lost-in-love 'If You See Kay' and lost-in-the-world 'The Man Who Can't Be Moved' give the soulful vocals room to wander and soar.

Certainly, this Dublin group are an acquired taste but, not unlike their home city's famous dark brew, their slghtly different take on an age-old tradition keeps drawing you back.