Shortly after completing his latest album at the end of 2008, UK singer/songwriter Liam Frost parted ways with his record label, Columbia. Luckily, he was able to walk away with the master tapes for “We Ain’t Got No Money, Honey, but We Got Rain”, which he released on his own label in the fall of 2009.

With an alternative/folk sound that, to me, is reminiscent of San Francisco’s Matt Nathanson, Liam is quietly grabbing the attention of fans on both sides of the pond, thanks to some good radio-play. The stand-out track that has things moving for Liam is “Your Hand in Mine”, his duet with Martha Wainwright; an almost-frantic, infectious track which Liam refers to as his “dirty love song”. It’s that little bit of “dirty” that keeps the song, with its dare-I-say-perky hook, from becoming too twee. Take a listen, but fair warning – this one will stick in your head:

“We Ain’t Got No Money, Honey, but We Got Rain”, Frost’s second full-length release to date, has been described as “relentlessly and realistically romantic”. And, although it is his sophomore release, it can almost be considered a debut, given the relative obscurity of his first CD “Show Me How the Spectres Dance”; an album that dealt greatly with the deaths of his father and brother. This CD still treads a bit in darker waters, but it is decidedly more optimistic and accessible. It’s pop music, for sure, but pop music for us thinking people, thanks to Frost’s reflective, intelligent lyrics. (This is an artist, after all, who named his CD after a Charles Bukowski poem by the same name.)

If the second single from the album, which is poised for release, catches on like the first, “Manchester’s Best Kept Secret” might not be a secret for much longer.

Liam Frost’s album “We Ain’t Got No Money, Honey, but We Got Rain” is available now on iTunes and various online and brick-and-mortar outlets. (Support local record stores!)