The Incomplete Glenn Tilbrook

After 24 years and 13 albums as the musical director of that classic British pop band Squeeze, Glenn Tilbrook has ventured solo. Without Chris Difford—Squeeze's lyricist extraordinaire, the Ira Gershwin to Tilbrook's George—one might fear that The Incomplete Glenn Tilbrook might be a too-accurate title. But it isn't. The best songs here—"This Is Where You Ain't," "G.S.O.H. Essential," "One Dark Moment," and "Up the Creek" among them—are solo Tilbrook compositions, with witty, often touching words to match the songwriter's characteristically heart-melting melodies. The collaborations include songs with Aimee Mann, Ron Sexsmith, and Chris Braide, the latter of whom co-wrote the initial U.S. single, "Parallel World," an engaging singalong borne along by Tilbrook's forever-young tenor. The album's U.S. edition features a trio of bonus tracks, with the acoustic version of "One Dark Moment" serving as a calling card for Tilbrook's fun, fluent solo shows.—BB