The Ike Reilly Assassination - Junkie Faithful / Sparkle In The Finish (Rock Ridge) Ike Reilly’s debut UK release provides a hefty introduction. It’s his second and third album repackaged as a single entity on two CDs. It’s an awful lot to take in. Happily Reilly’s an interesting enough songwriter to carry it off. The band plays a splendidly loose version of American rock ‘n’ roll, the sort of thing any Replacements or Hold Steady fan would feel instantly at home with, and Reilly’s wordplay is full of smarts and scathing humour. Of the two albums here, perhaps Sparkle In The Finish just shades it, but other days may well offer a different result. I see their new album, Poison The Hit Parade has just been released in the States. Money may have to be spent. www.ikereilly.net Rob F. Next