Stan Martin ‘Whiskey Morning’ - Twangtone

Alongside such notables as Dave Gleason and Kenny Vaughan, Stan Martin is a singer, songwriter and notable guitarist. All three are Telecaster exponents of the highest order. They understand the nature and truth of twang. Martin follows up his last album Distilled Influences with this latest alcohol flavoured collection of eleven original songs. On this occasion he took the advice of bassist Dave Roe and recorded in Nashville. Roe co-produced with Martin and they have delivered a fresh sounding album that is steeped in the classic country sounds of Merle, Buck, Dwight through to contemporary Americana at its rootiest edge.

Roe has gather some notable players such as Dave Dunseath on drums, Pat Severs on steel guitar and John Deadrick on accordion, to mention but three. They are taught, focused support group who know how to make this music work the way it needs to. The opening Champagne Wishes is a steel infused riff that has a power twang that is built around some tight melodic phases and choruses. Like some of the great 80’s to early 90s albums that blended, among a number of influences, some British invasion tautness with a trademark Bakersfield twang. A blend that finds much favour, as it has in the past, with these particular set of ears. Come On Trouble and Little Bit Right also follow this template. There is however a lot of variety on the album with the solid love song If taking a more acoustic route with dobro and accordion. Damn This Town express the frustration of a man living far from home trying to make his way against the odds. A troubadour unable to make achieve his ambition or find a foothold to build a living from. A feeling many have had in trying to follow a that particular dream. As with a lot of country songs these song will seem familiar and are easy too make friend with. Singer Of Songs is about a man who has used up his favours in trying to be true to his hopes and to follow in the footsteps of his idols.

Martin has never been one to stray too far from what is a perennial theme in traditional country music for the subject matter for some of his songs -that is drinkimg. The title track and the self explanatory Reasons For Drinking You Gone, The Note and the aforementioned Champagne Wishes are ones that deal with issues related to the powers of booze. Love and life are the other regular stalwarts of country music and music in general. The closing song Wrapped Around Your Finger talks of a relationship that provides solace of sorts. It that has the rhythm feel of a Paul Kennerley song and close the album with upbeat confidence.

Stan Martin has been perfecting his craft and this, his fifth, album is his best. His vocal are more assured and his playing and integration with the pedal steel and with the rhythm section assures that all flows along with ease. This is something for those who like their country straight up but not restrained to any one strand. Rather this album is an amalgamation of on number of influences delivered as a satisfying whole.

Fingerpistol ‘Stepped In It Again’ - Avery International

From the opening bars of the title song you know exactly what’s on offer here. The following 15 songs simply confirm that opinion. The collective musicians of Fingerpistol play with a love and largesse for the traditionally Texas focused country music that they play.

The eight players involved are skilled players who make singer Dan Hardick’s songs come alive. He has written all the material on the album that range from the humorous  - Country Music Made A Drinker Out Of Me, Truck Nutz and the title track. To songs that deal with typical mismatched relationships  - Desperate Woman, Man About Town and Take Back This Heartache. But amid the tongue in cheek tactics there are some socially aware aspirations like in the closing track Queer For The Rodeo. A song that’s has a punch line of “it ain’t nothing but my own damn business how I orientate”. It’s a song that ask us not to make judgements. Other songs deal with that perennial staple of the genre - drink. Bottle Of Whiskey is about sharing some good times with that particular beverage and praises it in its many forms. Another title is Songs About Hank Williams which considers the many songs that takes Ol’ Hank as their topic and decides that if he were that legendary person then “I’d write songs about me too”. It ends with the line that he feels that he’s pretty sure that what’s Williams did! Cherokee Shuffle is the shortest track here, a fiddle interlude of some 28 seconds. The rest of the songs though average above the three minute mark over the generous 16 song included.

Hardick’s partner on the vocal front is Suzee Brooks, she is an equally adept singer alongside delivering these songs with personality and some passion. Taking the lead vocal on a number of songs or duetting with Hardick on others. Their ‘life’s a bitch’ duet Never will raise a smile on many a face. Of the musicians who form an important part of Fingerpistol perhaps the most recognisable name of the players involved is pedal steel player Neill Flanz who played with Gram Parsons’ Fallen Angels band. 

Musically there are bits of Bakersfield, dance floor shuffles and honky tonk toe-tappers among the hardcore country sounds, however they manage to bring some freshness to these hard worn themes. If you were ever a fan of the likes of the Cornell Hurd Band then you will have an idea what to expect. The mix of humour, heart and hot playing is infectious and enjoyable. It is what it is and doesn’t try to be something it’s not and is all the better for it. Enjoy, but be careful where you put your feet.   

Mark Sinnis 'It’s Been a Long Cold Hard Lonely Winter' - 9th Recordings

Sinnis is a  New York musician who started out as a member of punk band Apostates and who has now turned his direction towards a blend of dark country and roots rock; something he has termed “cemetery and western”. He has a sonorous voice that is well suited to the term and indeed the title track, and the song Six Feet From Eternit,y aren’t exactly the cheerful stuff of country radio. Yet it would be wrong to label the music dour and there is a lot of variation over the album’s sixteen tracks.

With co-producer George Grant they have brought a broad range of players into the studio to help them realise these songs, which are a mix of originals with a trio of covers that fit the overall mood. The covers are Hank Williams Sr’s The Angel of Death, Jerry Irby’s Driving Nails in My Coffin and th George Jones classic He Stopped Loving Her Today. Brave choices indeed, considering that there are already versions considered definitive. But Sinnis handles them well and he also assimilates other classic sounds into songs like Sunday Morning Train, with it’s Cash rhythm and Ring of Fire brass.

At this point you might legitimately ask; is there anything new here? Given that the Americana genre is based on music of the ages, then Sinnis is doing his own take on that, making music that, taken on it’s own terms is entertaining and engrossing.

That is, if you want to be reminded that ‘death is always near’ and accept the premise that many of these songs have a dark heart, a heart that finds solace in walking around midnight graveyards. Gothic country is something that has been touched on before but Sinnis has taken the darkness as his abiding light. In pure musical terms there is plenty to admire, with a wide range of instruments adding to the musical textures including fiddle, steel, banjo, trumpet and keyboards sitting behind Sinis’ acoustic guitar and voice.

It’s Been a Long Cold Hard Lonely Winter is the latest in a series of releases that continue this theme, so this is clearly the path that Sinnis is following. Possibly it is a thorny and overgrown path, but one that will always find those in tune with that spirit. There may be an air of ‘Washington Irving sings country death songs’ to it, but that in itself is not without its attractions.

While it may often be a long cold hard lonely winter we have to endure, here is some music that, like any good ghost story, has you captivated by it’s telling of the darker side of life. And death.

Red Molly 'The Red Album' - Self Release

Red Molly are the talented trio of Laurie MacAllister, Abbie Gardner and Molly Venter. All three are strong singers who take turns on both lead and harmony vocals. It is this blend of voices that gives them their uniqueness. They are ably help to achieve this by producer Ken Coomer (formally percussionist for Uncle Tupelo and Wilco) who makes sure those voices are accompanied by some fine playing. Coomer is the right drummer to give these songs a strong rhythmic pulse that makes them stand out from other, more acoustic-based, female combos.

They all started out as individual singers/songwriters who got together at a festival in 2004. Molly Venter joined the band following the departure of original member Carolann Solebello and has been with them now for three previous albums, this being their fifth album.

The material is a mix of original songs from Venter and Gardner along with well chosen songs such as Paul Simon’s Homeward Bound, Darrell and Wayne Scott’s With A Memory Like Mine and Richard Thompson’s 1952 Vincent Black Lightening - the song from which they derived their band name after the ‘Red Molly’ featured in the song. 

Red Molly prove themselves to be able players as well as excellent vocalists. Gardner adds some effective electric dobro to the opening song Clinch River Blues. She plays dobro on several tracks and piano, as does McAllister, along with acoustic guitar. The different writers and lead vocalist add variety, but there is still an easily identifiable group sound. The pedal steel on You Don’t Have the Heart For It, is as country as they get, but the instrumentation means they never stray too far from a folk or folk rock setting, and the occasional bluegrass overtone, throughout. 

Red Molly have delivered an album they can justifiably feel proud of, and the listener is bound to find their own favourites as there is much here to enjoy. For this writer With a Memory Like Mine, You Don’t Have the Heart For It and 1952 Vincent Black Lightening and the unaccompanied closer Copper Ponies are all tracks I will happily return to.

Madison Violet 'Self-Titled' - Passenger Sounds

This four track primer from a forthcoming new release shows Madison Violet in a new light. Firmly established as a duo in country/folk circles, this release sees the two stretch out into new territory. The opening song Under Fire, sounds like a Scissors Sisters track with the up-tempo beat and a celebratory, sing-along chorus.

We get a similar feel with These Ships which rocks out in a style that shows a new commercial leaning, complete with brass and string arrangement. Operator is a hit single, if ever I heard one, driving along with a song structure that hints of dance-floor mayhem.

Finishing with Trouble, this  new direction could hint at exactly that, with loyal fans disappointed and the risk of losing supporters along the way. However, I applaud Madison Violet for exploring a new direction and even if this sounds somewhat over-produced in parts, there is no doubting the two fine talents at play here.

The Dandy Horses 'Self-Titled' - Self Release

What a joy to discover such vibrant and exciting new music. This Belfast based band is five musicians with multi-talented skills across a variety of acoustic instruments.  Initially comprised of Joanne Cassidy (vocals, guitar, tin whistle, flute, banjo, harp) Noeleen Cosgrove (vocals, guitar,  fiddle, banjo) and  Sean Quinn (vocals, bouzouki, mandolin, banjo) the Dandy Horses took the decision to expand in late 2013.

With the addition of Rodney McKinney on double bass and Marty Malone on drums and percussion, their melodic, acoustic sound was given greater colour and the song arrangements on this five track EP benefit greatly. Comparisons to bands such as The Dixie Chicks and The Corrs are inevitable with the strong vocals of Noeleen Cosgrove standing out on four of the songs.

The final song, My Heart Goes Boom, sung by Sean Quinn is a merry, up-tempo workout and Driving Towards Blue Skies is a fine track with a positive uplifting message to look forward with optimism. Fighting Fires is a gentle song that cautions against living with fear and frustration and reflects that "you can’t fight every little fire". The production is very strong with fiddle, flute, harp and whistle being mixed into an appealing blend of Irish folk and American country influences. Highly recommended.

Bruce Joseph 'Look Out' - Self Release

Bruce Joseph, the Belfast based singer songwriter, has been unknown to me until recently.  I was given his debut release, which dates back to 2011, with a view to expanding his listening audience and awareness factor. There has been a subsequent EP in 2012 and a more recent single, which features the talents of Ruth Trimble.

Joseph channels the feelings of everyman in his gentle songs. There are themes of commitment, regret, wistful longing and knowing remorse. The song arrangements are beautifully played by a small group of musicians who adopt an acoustic flavoured ‘less is more’ approach. The sensitive playing complements the songs perfectly and the overall feeling is one of sweet vignettes, sung with warmth and highlighting some lovely harmony singing from Una MCann.

There is a new release due later this year and the recent single Fallen Sun features a fine video on You Tube which is well worth checking out.

Whether singing about leaving or remaining in a relationship, there is no doubt that Bruce Joseph is a very talented song-writer and the title of the debut release, Look Out is very apt. He is certainly a rising talent to watch.

Hidden Highways 'Old Hearts Reborn' - Out On A Limb Records

Defined as a quiet, Americana influenced folk duo; this Dublin-based pairing of Carol Anne McGowan and Tim V Smyth make understated, gentle music. The song arrangements are reflective and hint of times gone by when the revivalist influences of porch songs were passed down from one rural generation to the next.

There is plenty to admire here and the sweet sound across all ten tracks is a very pleasant listening experience. Pedal steel, violin and double bass merge with various guitar strums to create an atmosphere that soothes and reassures the listener that all is OK in the world after all. Lullaby songs for the lost and the lonely

Paul Tully 'Lyric for the Lost' - Self Release

This debut EP from Strabane singer-songwriter Paul Tully highlights the fine talent that is alive and well in Northern Ireland these days.  Holding the torch for past greats is never easy but there is a rich well of talent recently springing forth, with the likes of Ruth Trimble, Bruce Joseph and The Dandy Horses.

Paul Tully is perhaps the best example of this new talent with a collection of mature, fully realised songs that are produced by Peter Doherty in a style that shows both insight and sensitivity to the artist. Whether writing about optimism for the future (Go Your Way) or penning a lullaby for adults (Ways of the World), Paul Tully hits it just right with fine arrangements and a sensitive sound.

Stop is a track that pleads for understanding in a relationship and highlights the fine vocals of Paul along with beautiful cello and harmony vocals from Bridgeen MacManus.I Will Wait For You speaks of a parting couple who try to secure their fragile relationship and contains the lines “Shouldn’t fall apart so easily; shouldn’t fall in love so easily.”

Paul Tully is truly fine stuff and a real talent to celebrate. 

Sara Crockett 'Better Be Gone' - Self Release

A very fine new singer song-writer from Belfast, Sara Crockett comes jumping out of the speakers with a Nashville groove in Better Be Gone and the warning of trouble ahead to a cheating lover.

This five track release is very impressive and the production by Tre Sheppard is right on the money. Some fine playing across a driving drum beat, pedal steel and fiddle; all topped off by a confident vocal performance from Sara who sings with attitude and power. With this promising debut Sara certainly deserves a seat at the table and is someone to look out for.

Jonny Two Bags 'Salvation Town' – Isotone

Jonny Wickersham is a member of the current incarnation of Social Distortion, and like founder and fellow guitarist Mike Ness, he shares a love of roots-rock music along with his punk sensibilities. Under his stage name of Jonny Two Bags, Wickersham has released this solo album which is full of captivating songwriting and thoughtful singing.

With co-producer David Kelish Wickersham has gathered a striking collection of musicians to join him on his journey to Salvation Town. Included are members of Social Distortion and luminaries such as Jackson Browne who adds harmony vocals on There You Stand Alone. Browne sideman, veteran guitarist David Lindley adds his guitar and fiddle skills to some tracks and Grez Leisz adds  steel and slide guitar. Also present is Elvis Costello’s drummer Pete Thomas with Joel Guzman who plays some atmospheric accordion, an instrument that sets the tone for a lot of the album and gives a heated border feel to songs like Clay Wheels and Avenues. Steve Berlin and David Hidalgo from Los Lobos bring their distinctive tone to the album which in many ways has its roots in the LA scene of the Eighties when bands like Los Lobos, X, The Blasters and Rank & File shared stages.

The album is not a replay of that era, but picks the spirit that saw bands absorb a lot of  influences and channel them into something new that had enormous vitality. This is what Jonny Two Bags has done here and done it in some style. His songs deal with the vernacular of relationships that can lead to being alone or just trying to find your way in the world or looking at the polar opposites that pull your life in different directions, as with album opener One Foot In The Gutter, a co-write with Pete Thomas.

There is a muscular mien to much of the music but there are moments that have a softer edge and show Wickersham’s versatility as a vocalist. Alone Tonight is one such evocative moment on what is a rewarding and rejuvenating record. Salvation Town should find favour with those who enjoyed Mike Ness’ two solo albums and who like their roots music to be played by someone who wants to deliver their best means of gaining some salvation - musically at least!

The Secret Sisters 'Put Your Needle Down' - Republic/Universal

Your response to this long delayed second album will depend on whether you’re a fan of the stripped down duo live with just their two voices and one guitar,  or if you’re a fan of the production work of T-Bone Burnett. Burnett was the executive producer of the sister’s debut album which was a relatively restrained affair of mostly covers songs that didn’t diverge a great deal from sources. Here the duo are surrounded by many different sonic layers, with lots of percussion and guitars behind a high quotient of self or co-written songs.

Rattle My Bones lives up to its title, but the music settles down for the next song Iuka, written by Laura and Lydia with Dan Wilson. Elsewhere they co-write with seasoned writers Gordie Sampson, Brandi Carlile and Angelo Petraglia , also adding additional lyrics to Dirty Lie, written by Bob Dylan , but unfinished until now. This has a real atmosphere pertaining to the telling of untruths, tarnished ones at that.

Some of Burnett’s usual crew are present such as guitarist Marc Ribot, who is joined on some down-home dirty guitar by Gurf Morlix. T-Bone hits the strings too on several songs over a robust rhythmic base from (though not exclusively) drummer Jay Bellerose and bassist Zachary Dawes. Once you acquaint yourself with this more complex musical setting, the sister’s harmonies slowly emerge from the backing to firmly establish themselves as a key factor in the overall sound. When the music is less forceful the girls deliver some great vocals, as on Let There be Lonely, one of their co-writes, as is the more 50s oriented sound of Black and Blue. That era is also referred to on Boudleaux Bryant’s Lonely Island which has a nice string arrangement in the background of its tropical-tinged scene setting.

The album overall is, in truth, a logical progression for the sisters as developing writers and with some living to take into account which brings their music to something new. Another co-write is the kiss-off karma of Good Luck, Good Night, Goodbye, which is a highlight here with their close harmonies perfectly delivering the punchline. The album closes with the up-tempo spiritual song River Jordan, which was part of their live set the last time they played here.

It is a good note on which to close a strong album which may please all their fans, but it is likely to bring some new ones to the fold. One can only hope there won’t be such a delay with the next record. It will be interesting to see where the sisters take their music if they are left to their own devices. But for now put the needle down anywhere on this album and enjoy.

Petunia 'Inside of You' - Trapline

A new album by Petunia, the charismatic Canadian country celebrant, is always something to look forward to. This time out he takes the sole album billing, though his band the Vipers are present among a sterling line-up of musicians. Vipers Jimmy Roy on lap steel and guitarist Stephen Nikleva are joined by some of Vancouver’s finest, including Paul Rigby (who played with Petunia on his debut album), JP Carter on trumpet, Kathleen Nisbet on violin and Frank Fairfield on a number of vintage styled instruments and  pump organ. All add much to the flavouring of these songs which incorporate elements of traditional country, rockabilly, swing, blues, folk and jazz to create something both original and special.

 

The album opens with the express rhythmic twang of Runaway Freight Train Heart. It begins a journey over twelve tracks that take in a wide variety of musical stops. All are centred around Petunia’s inventive writing and idiosyncratic vocal style. There’s  jazz trumpet on Forgotten Melody. The paean to two wheel travel Bicycle Song is a tight song with lap steel and guitar. More stripped back again is Holy Budge Winters which is just acoustic with steel, violin and pump organ on the strange tale of Budge. It is a perfect example of Petunia’s individual and idiosyncratic vocal delivery that makes him immediately identifiable and special.

Further down the line there is a love song in Lucille and the intimate title track that is just Petunia and his acoustic guitar which is more than enough to give the song its heart. Things kick up again with The One Thing with guitars and trumpet topping the focused rhythm section, which is solid throughout. Gunned Down is a sombre balled of imminent death delivered in a suitable musical setting. They Almost Had Me Believing is another song with attitude, while the album closes with Teardrops Rolling, a song that bookends the album with a twangy tone that relates back to the last album as well as to the opening track and to the idea of moving on. There is an additional unnamed track at the end of the album whose subject is difficult to define as it’s not sung in English but has a nice relaxed jazzy feel to it.

The songs are all credited to R. Fortugno, which is the name that can be found on Petunia’s legal documents, but his nom-de-plume Petunia suits him best. He certainly flowers on this album. He co-produced the album with Phil Sgriccia and it has a rich warm and diverse sound that is filled with quirky elements that are peculiar to Petunia. If you’re coming from the Rascal Flatts or even Garth Brooks perspective, then it’s likely that Petunia is not the one for you. But anyone who likes something a bit more intrinsically interesting, whose genesis is in the broad based music of earlier times, will find that  this music may take some time to get to know its inspirations and intentions, but then it will be inside of you too and have you coming back for more.

Bruce Robison/Kelly Willis 'Our Year' - Thirty Tigers

The Austin-based married couple are back with their second joint album. Both have released some excellent solo albums in the past,  but here combine their talents on an album that is warm and welcome. The opening song Departing Louisiana has some understated dobro under the voices on a song that talks of the draw that that particular state holds. Motor City Man is one that talks about the motor industry or lack of it and its effect on a working man. Carousel, written by Robison and Darden Smith, has a gentle touch with pedal steel and fiddle that is centred around the notion of impermanence of relationships on occasion. Willis wrote the next song Lonely For You with Paul Kennerley and it immediately takes you back to the early solo albums that Willis released With Kennerley’s Holly-esque overtones it’s an immediately likeable song. Robison takes the lead on the ballad Hanging On that features a nice string arrangement from producer Brad Jones, on a classic well sung song. 

T-Bone Burnett wrote Shake Yourself Loose on a heartbreak ballad, again underpinned by tear-filled steel guitar. Willis and Robison tackle the classic Tom T. Hall song Harper Valley PTA next, and while they don’t displace the original, Willis gives another vibrant vocal performance that makes this version fit the overall context of the album with a more down-home back porch feel than the original Jeannie C. Riley version of this small town melodrama about hypocrites. Waggoneer Monte Warden co-wrote Anywhere but Here with Robison, another song that talks of finding a better situation, a better place to live. I’ll go to My Grave Loving You is a harmony-laden duet that professes love at the highest level. The album closes with another cover; this time it sets the tone for a couple growing together and over coming adversity with This Will Be Our Year. 

Recorded in Nashville, the album features players of the calibre of Pete Finney and Geoff Queen on steel guitar, Eamon McLaughlin on strings,  John Ludwick on upright bass and Fred Eltringham on drums - but no lead guitar player,  something that gives the sound a softer edge overall. The acoustic guitar duties are handled by Robison, but as you’d expect, it is the two seasoned singers who are the spice here. This is a solidly old school, country style album. It not only serves as a solid album in its own right, but is a reminder of the great work that both artists have produced in the past and will continue to do in the future.

Massy Ferguson 'Victory & Ruins' - Spark and Shine

Naming themselves after the tractor producing company, albeit with a deliberate misspelling, seems to fit this down to earth hard working band. They’re a mix of heartland rock and roots music with touches of hard rock. All of which means there are no groundbreaking moves on display rather the music, like the band, works hard to be liked. It manages to do that with solid songwriting, singing and playing from the four-piece Washington-based band. The songs are all self-written and have echoes of a host of artists when you listen from Springsteen through the Drive-By Truckers - not a bad comparisons by any means.

On the country based number The Hard Way they are joined by fellow Washington artist Zoe Muth. Here singer and bassist Ethan Anderson shows his skill as a singer and the balance between the two make it a stand out song and album track. The track uses pedal steel, a sound which helps to emphasise its inherent country twang. The twang factor is also present on the up-tempo, harmonica fuelled Flexed-Arm Hang. Labour of Love is another up-tempo rock song that has some jangle to wave at you in Tom Petty fashion.

Massy Ferguson also show a more reflective side on Apartment Downtown, that has cello mixed with acoustic guitar and vocal harmonies to good effect. Yet it is undoubtedly their more energetic side that they are known for on this Johnny Sangster produced album. The pedal steel of Jason Kardong features again on the closing Bring Back Something, a song that has some sadness in the repeated chorus of a returning prodigal. But for some the most appropriate song may be the opening Hello!, a song that introduces you to the band’s energy and esprit.

This is the Seattle band’s fourth full-length album and they have settled into their solid groove and identity which has, doubtless, found them many fans in their home area. On the strength of this they will find fans much farther afield, as indeed that have already with gigs under their belt in such diverse places as Germany, Iceland and a couple of cities in Australia. What Massy Ferguson do is not about anything other than delivering their music to an appreciative audience - both recorded and in person. They are not likely to have dreams of international stardom, well maybe dreams, but they know the reality and what they do is make their best music. Victory & Ruins is testament that they have done just that.

John Fullbright 'Songs' - Blue Dirt

The latest album from Fullbright lives up to its title as the focus here is the writing, something at which he excels. As such, the overall feeling is of a singer/songwriter delivering the words in the most suitable way for each of the songs as Fullbright conceives them. He co-produced the album with Wes Sharon, so the way this album sound s is doubtless as was intended. I have heard comments that it reminded some listeners of Elton John and Billy Joel. These comments have some accuracy as you will not be thinking of Merle or Buck when you listen. 

What is immediately obvious is that John Fullbright knows how to craft a lyric and a melody. These are often played in simple guitar and voice, or voice and piano setting (Keeping Hope Alive, Write a Song and Very First Time). Other tracks, by way of contrast, When You’re Here and Never Cry Again have a full band. The latter is the most obviously roots oriented song musically. For the most part it is Fullbright and one or two players reaching the essence of the song. Songs is a likely source of material for other artists, who could expand on the arrangements here to good effect. However repeated play brings home the songs’ honesty and essential hopefulness. The accompanying lyric booklet gives easy access to the words, but Fullbright’s lyrics are clearly sung and leave you understanding what the songs are about.

Write a Song quietly tells the listener to “write a song about a song”. This is something that Fullbright knows well and his words and melodies are never too complex. The meanings are clear and for that reason you find an affinity with them and in many ways that is what the best sings do. One line that stuck with me was “I met love, love met me and we agreed to disagree”, from the song Going Home; it simply captured the fleeting nature of many a relationship. There is something of the poetic about his writing but that’s without the big “p”, rather he understates these songs with an economical sparseness that is lets the songs breathe.

Songs will however not make everyone’s playlist as it doesn’t exude falseness as many of the songs that reach the popular conscious these days do. But for others the voice, playing and writing on offer here offers a respite of thoughtfulness that gets down to the heart of what the songwriting craft is all about.