One of British pop's great auteurs, Prefab Sprout frontman Paddy McAloon has kept a relatively low profile over the past decade, ill health affecting his vision and hearing. His first album of new material in 10 years (2009's Let's Change the World With Music had been recorded in 1992) is a solo effort in all but name, and it finds him sounding as graceful and refined as ever, his songwriting abilities clearly undiminished. The Best Jewel Thief in the World floats atop a sumptuous melody; The Songs of Danny Galway finds McAloon reminiscing about a meeting with Jimmy Webb, "the sorcerer from Wichita". The darkly funny Devil Came a Calling, meanwhile, details McAloon's own Faustian pact, Satan coming across as "charming, articulate and urbane", a description that fits this fine comeback.