Proclaimers

After seven years, the Scottish twins that shamelessly reinvented the sappy song you weren't ashamed to like have come back with a long-awaited release. Persevere contains much of the same themes as their previous releases: lassies ("Sweet Little Girls," "Heaven Right Now"), social satire ("Everybody's a Victim"), national identity ("Scotland's Story") and heartfelt sentimentality ("One Too Many, and "Act of Remembrance," both tributes to the Reid brothers' late father). Laced with cute turns of phrases and snappy lines, Persevere is a remarkable comeback album. The songs are fresh, catchy, sentimental and charming. While it may not be as wildly commercially successful as their previous albums - there is, after all, a seven-year gap between releases - it will bring the Proclaimers back on the world stage, and based on the strength of this album, deservedly so.