Daily Download: "As I Go," Richard Swift

This is the surprise debut of the year for me, a beautifully written and arranged collection of dreamy pop songs, sung in a flat-out gorgeous voice that splits the difference between Rufus Wainwright and Ron Sexsmith. Richard Swift's writing also shares something with those two, but Sexsmith, for all his songcraft, can't write melodies like this, and with Wainwright disappearing into the operatic ether, Swift seems to be a far better bet for lovely Tin Pan Alley fantasias like "Lady Day." The song I just can't get out of my head, though, is "As I Go," expertly arranged for maximum catchiness.