Alan Jackson 'Angels and Alcohol'- ACR/EMI

As you would expect from the combination of Alan Jackson and long time producer Keith Steagall, Angels and Alcohol sounds wonderful. The production is precise and Jackson’s voice is both warm and pitch perfect and shows no signs of aging. The musicians are excellent, particularly Brent Mason and JT Corenflos on lead guitars, Bobby Terry on acoustic guitar and banjo, Paul Franklin on pedal steel and Hoot Hester and Larry Franklin on twin fiddles. There is a decidedly more acoustic flavour than in Jackson’s previous straight country albums, probably resulting from his recent acoustic bluegrass album.

Jackson has long been a traditionalist and this stance is reinforced by a 1989 mission statement quote which is printed on the back of the CD booklet. Indeed, there are no loops, rapping or bro country on Angels and Alcohol. What it features is not ‘retro’ music, it is straightforward country of a kind major artists in Nashville haven’t sung for years as they try to keep up with radio’s artificial demands.

The 10 songs, 7 by Jackson himself with 3 outside songs, one of which is from Jackson’s nephew and wife, songwriting team Adam and Shannon Wright, are straight ahead country. The album opener, You Can Always come Home, is a father’s bittersweet advice to a child leaving home, something Jackson knows well as his 3 daughters are that age. The second song, You never Know is a raver with amazing guitar playing from (I think) Brent Mason, gorgeous steel from Paul Franklin and great lyrics and story line – so good it might have been written by Chuck Berry. The title track is mid-tempo with downbeat cautionary lyrics and a rueful spoken piece at the end. I Leave a Light On is a wonderful classic country weeper, superbly done, while Mexico, Tequila and Me is fun, with a sly American Pie reference in the lyrics.

I’m a long time Alan Jackson fan and so am probably biased, but this is a really good album. There are drawbacks; for me the album sags a bit in the middle with 3 mid-tempo rather ordinary songs. The outside songs are not as strong as Jackson’s own writing and I couldn’t warm to Troy Jones and Greg Becker’s When God Paints which is very like Dolly Parton’s God’s Coloring Book, but not as good. However these are very small drawbacks to a great dose of real country. 

Kacey Musgraves 'Pageant Material'- Mercury

This is Musgraves’ second major label album and is as distinctive and pleasing as her first one, Same Trailer Different Park. While the first album caused shock waves in Nashville (drug use! same sex affection!), the songs were not only well-written, but wouldn’t have caused a raised eyebrow outside the Nashville city limits. What was overlooked in the fuss over content in the first album was Ms Musgraves’ innate musicality and great voice, both of which feature bitgtime in Pageant Material.

Many of Kacey’s songs seem more personal this time, particularly Dime Store Cowgirl,This Town (which features a spoken clip of her grandmother) and the title track Pageant Material. They are sharply observed tales of the dynamics of a small town upbringing and life. Late to the Party by contrast is an out-and-out gentle love song reflecting on the merits of a private two person party’s being far better than a real party.

Biscuits, Miserable and Family is Family are more like Merry Go ‘Round and Follow Your Arrow from the first album, wry and ironic truisms that reinforce Musgraves’ position as one of the finest lyricists working in modern country music. Her duet with Willie Nelson on his Are you Sure? is a lovely acoustic workout, but why is it a ‘hidden track’, something I loathe.

Pageant Material is again produced by Musgraves, Luke Laird, and Shane MacAnally. Laird is among the excellent players - as is the wonderful Charlie Worsham on acoustic guitar, banjo and guitalele. The album features plenty of pedal steel, guitar, banjo and gorgeous strings, well arranged by Jordan Lehning. 

Kacey’s heroines are Dolly Parton and Loretta Lynn and either of them would be proud to have come out with an album this good. She wants to ‘write good songs – good country songs’ and Pageant Material is full of them, perfectly presented and sung. Kacey may not have been pageant material in her childhood in Texas, but in modern country she is a winner all the way.

Amy Black 'The Muscle Shoals Sessions' - Reuben

With this album, Amy’s fifth, she returns to her family’s roots in Alabama. A preacher’s daughter, Black was born and raised in the south until her father was posted to a church in Boston where Amy finished her education and went in to marketing. Musically she started out with the Red Clay Rascals and wended her way through the various strands of Americana, discovering a true gift for songwriting as she went. Her songs are country with a strong woman’s edge, taking on topics that mainstream country avoids; broken relationships, suicide and divorce. Things aren’t always grim in Amy’s world with jaunty songs like Cat’s in the Kitchen which makes me laugh out loud every time I hear it.

The Muscle Shoals Sessions is nine covers and only three of Amy’s songs, unlike most of her earlier albums which lean towards her own songs. But my goodness, what cover versions; Sam Cooke’s Bring it on Home, a great reading of Bob Dylan’s You Gotta Serve Somebody, Arthur Alexander’s You Better Move On, two Dan Penn songs, Mel & Tim’s Starting All Over Again, Mississippi Fred McDowell’s You Gotta Move (also covered by the Rolling Stones on Sticky Fingers) and the Black Keys’ Tighten Up, all of which sound great. Amy’s own three songs Get to Me, Please Don’t Give up on Me and Woman on Fire stand up well in such amazing company with Woman on Fire the absolute standout. A real mover, it is a fabulous live showpiece.

The band features Spooner Oldham on Wurlitzer and organ, Will Kimbrough on guitars and the McCrary Sisters on backing vocals as well as a hot brass and reed section and they are superlative throughout as is Amy. This is definitely her album and displays her talents in the canon of country soul, following easily in the footsteps of Tony Joe White, Bobbie Gentry and Larry Jon Wilson.

Amy is packing up her home and career and moving to Nashville to make a living in music. Having seen her live at Johnny D’s in Somerville at her combination ‘Goodbye to Boston/Muscle Shoals Session album launch’ she certainly has the goods to make it. I can only wish her the very best of luck and thank her for this excellent album.

Larry Campbell & Teresa Williams 'Self Titled'- Red House

This album is a very long time coming…and it is well worth the wait, although it took a lot of listening to come to that conclusion. Larry Campbell is a string wizard; guitars acoustic and electric, mandolin, bouzouki, fiddle, banjo and pedal steel, he is probably best known for his work as a Dylan sideman and for producing and playing on Levon Helm’s three Grammy-winning albums. His wife Teresa Williams has one of the best, most magnetic voices around. To say that the Tennessee born singer is a great country singer is to unfairly limit her.

Campbell has written 8 of the 11 songs on the album and they range from the lovely, sultry opening duet Surrender to Love through the uptempo Bad Luck Charm with Larry on lead vocals to Teresa’s tour-de-force, the lush, slow Another One More Time. And that is just the first 3 songs! Her singing is perfect, Amy Helm joins them on harmony vocals on three songs and Byron Isaac’s bass and Justin Guip’s drums are spot on throughout.

On first listen my favourite track was the Louvin’s You’re Running Wild the recording of which must go back a few years as Levon is on drums, but my current favourite changes each time I listen to the album. There are two other cover songs; one is a rocking gospel cover of the Reverend Gary Davis’ Keep your Lamp trimmed and Burning which truly sounds as if it could convert any stray sinners who hear it. The Grateful Dead’s Attic’s of My Life closes the album.

The production is exactly right and Bill Payne’s piano contributions are sparse but well placed. The cover is gorgeous and low key. This is a wonderful album, perfectly made and inherently musical. More please.

Greg Trooper 'Live at the Rock Room' - 52 Shakes

This is a man who lives up to his name. Trooper has been plying his trade long before his first release in 1992. This is his third live set and will be familiar to anyone who has caught his live show in recent times. He is joined her by Chip Dolan on keyboards and accordion and Jack Saunders on upright bass; both add backing vocals and give the recording some added presence. As with all his albums and shows Trooper’s essential warmth and humour come across through his music. He has honed his writing and vocal skills through the years and both are something to be reckoned with.

There are 14 songs taken from various parts of his career, but with a majority from his last studio album Incident on Willow Street. There are touches of the darker moments in life like Broken Man or The Land of No Forgiveness and a poignancy that evokes empathy without wasting energy. Even when he takes on these subjects, he does so in a way that offers some insight into why a person is in that place. While songwriters aim for that level of perception, few can achieve it consistently throughout a body of work as Trooper has.

As a lyricist Trooper has worked towards a standard of writing that is economic in its story telling. He gets a story across in a set of words that are without any waste and are backed by  strong melodic arrangements. In other words Trooper is a keeper and this collection reminds you why. Intimate and incisive, this set from the Rock Room will make you feel as appreciative as the audience did on the night.

Martin Harley and Daniel Kimbro 'Live At Southern Ground' Del Mundo

An exponent of lap-style slide guitar, Martin Harley is the main vocalist and writer here. He is joined by Daniel Kimbro on upright bass and backing vocals. The result has both atmosphere and astuteness. It is a simple enough set up, with the duo playing live in Southern Ground Studio in Nashville, so it’s about the skill of the players and the strength of the songs. Both are good, an honest, simple and direct setting that was made to represent how Harley had been performing live recently.

We are lucky enough to have, here in Ireland, at least two excellent similarly styled guitar players; NC Lawlor and Clive Barnes. So we’ve heard how expressive an instrument the guitar is when played in this style. It is so here with songs which touch on blues, folk and various roots associations. There is a trio of covers as well as original songs. Goodnight Irene is arranged as a slow blues and is very effective as a new look at the traditional song. His interpretation of Tom Waits’ Chocolate Jesus has an appropriate angst with some dexterous slide. Blind Willie Johnson’s Nobody’s Fault but Mine has an essential understanding of how one can take the wrong path in life and Harley’s voice is full of the pain of that understanding.

Throughout Harley matches the emotion of his voice with that of his playing. Daniel Kimbo adds additional depth to the performances on what is a very accomplished album, full of light and shade. The closing song, the uptempo Love in the Afternoon closes the album with a sense of the uplifting, life affirming moments that life can bring. For this album Harley has stripped his sound back and shown that he can more than hold his own in a variety of musical settings.

Dan Gallardo 'Hickory'- Clubhouse

From the opening moments of the first song , Down in the Valley, you know you’re into something good. The fiddle, Dobro and mandolin sit over a solid rhythm section topped by a strong vocal from Gallardo. This is as fine a blend of acoustic and electric roots music as you might wish. Gallardo’s songs are linear stories that speak of people, places and personal relationship politics. The album was produced, engineered and mixed by David Pinkston, who also appears as one of the guitarist as well as adding pedal steel. He and Gallardo have surrounded them with a tight and attentive set of musicians who, in the guest category, include Rob Ickes, Guthrie Trapp, Randall Bramblett and Mickey Raphael with a set of players who likely constitute regular contributors to Gallardo’s music; they usually work under the name How Far West.

There is a variety of moods and sounds to be found here from the sax in Midnight Sound that has a feel of a late night reflection. Banks of the Mississippi and Ophelia, We Cry (Ode to Levon Helm) should not displease fans of the fabled drummer and his former band. The North Dakota Blues is a standout, a pacy song that deals with the story of a gun toting gang who roamed that territory in the days before the west was entirely free of wildness. A Cup of Rain is much sadder and features some subtle piano and pedal steel which underline the sentiment. Angel on the Dance Floor has a beat in keeping with the song’s self-explanatory title. Another song touched with a certain sadness is This Time which uses Raphael’s harmonica to good effect with the pedal steel and guitar. The closing song of the thirteen (lucky for this listener) Pearls, is another set of lyrics that seems to dwell on the unhappy reality of some false expectations and making the best of what comes. 

Despite the at times, sorrowful nature of some of the lyrics, the album is an uplifting and rewarding collection of Americana related tunes that finds Dan Gallardo, on his fifth album, at the top of his game. He deservedly garners more of the critical praise he has received for his previous albums and, given it’s release on Clubhouse, this part of the world should find him gaining new fans here too.

John Coinman 'Already Are' - Cavalier

The latest album from the Tucson, Arizona based singer/songwriter finds him in a rockier mode than of late in his solo work, or in his collaboration with Kevin Costner and Modern West. For this album, Coinman has assembled a tight band that includes Teddy Morgan on guitar and vocals and Neil Harry on pedal steel as well as Brandy Zdan on harmony vocals. The album was produced by Morgan and Coinman and has a tough exterior that rocks, while the songs reveal some thoughts about love and inner strength. In That’s What You do For Fame he muses on his own path and the moves made in pursuit of the elusive dream. Then by way of contrast the song Oklahoma City looks at the city and how the atrocious bombing there still affects many who had a direct connection to the devastation. Trusted Friend values real friendship while As She Fades Away with My Love watches love and friendship dissipating and fading.

Coinman has written all these songs with Kostner, bassist Blair Forward and Morgan or on his own. Both of the latter two have played on previous Conman albums. The words bring sets of different feelings to the surface and, while the overall sound is more roots rock, there are moments of reflection like the closing Hey Man What About You, where band is still there, bringing a quite power to the song. There are times when one is reminded of music from the 60s through 80s, but it feels like it is made for now, rather than an exercise in recreating something. The central element here is Coinman’s voice, which has the strength of someone who has lived life and learned what his voice is and what it is for. There is a little grit in there that adds an edge. 

Although its Coinman’s name above the door, this feels like a band and he gets the support from the assembled players that gives the songs their drive. There are underlying hooks and choruses here that make the songs memorable, from the opening title cut with its repeating guitar motif through Sky Full of You, which also has a strong guitar part under Coinman’s characterful vocals. While this music is treading a well worn path, its strengths are not in its originality, but in the way these performances deliver on many fronts and give the listener something to bite on. Already Are is a fine album.

Ed Dupas 'A Good American Life' - Mackinaw Harvest

Dupas is a heartland troubadour who recorded this album in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It was produced by Michael Crittenden, who also plays guitar on the album. Crittenden is  part of a solid, satisfying band with pedal steel and keyboards adding to the mid-western sound. The album was mixed by John Keene, noted for his work with R.E.M. and others. It takes the basic of Dupas’ guitar songs and adds layers of blue collar attitude to these song of hard life and heartache; themes that would be familiar to fans of Mellencamp, Springsteen, Earle and others who explore the dark hues of the urban/rural divide.

Dupas has a warm baritone voice that has presence and personality. The twelve songs are all written by Dupas, with Crittenden co-writing With Love You Never Know. Although Texas born, Dupas lives in Michigan and has been playing music since his teens. This is his debut album and it is a good start that shows his potential and ability. He takes his observations and understanding of everyday lives and put them into songs like the title song, Whiskey Bones, Home in Time, This Old Town and Until Blue Comes Around, songs that explore emotion and the everyday, everyman experience.

There a sense of irony in A Good American Life that contrasts what that could be and what it actually is. Flag is another song that seems to espouse an attitude, but highlights the flag as central to different feelings and different reasons for its use. Train takes you on a journey “where there ain’t no coming back” - we run on life’s rails. You Don’t Get to Explain details the way that one person’s mistakes often have lasting effects on others. The album’s final statement is one that declares our physical need for love. Without You is an acoustic song that asks for understanding while considering the unthinkable. 

There are a number of artists whose records I could easily file along side this, artists such as Chris Knight. This kind of music is not about changing the rules, it is more about delivering an honest statement of how one sees life from a particular viewpoint. In that light, Ed Dupas’ songs are truthful and delivered with a real emotion that rings true; made not for profit, but for merit. These songs have muscle and grit and the playing throughout is full of nuances that underline the songs’ storylines. Dupas should be considered as a worthy addition to those troubadours of truth and decay whose songs both resonate and reward.

Adam Hill 'Old Paint' - Self Release

An accomplished musician, Adam Hill has played many different genres of music and has played bass with a number of different bands. He is also a contemporary composer and not someone who dwells on his past music as he takes the folk/roots path on this acoustic-based album. 

In the way that many traditional songs are transformed by being passed down in live performance, Hill has re-imagined these songs by adding some new lyrics and melodic changes. Like the album cover photograph, which could be seen as an abstract landscape but is in fact rusted metal, Hill has taken something old and seen it in a new light. When people gather to play, they often sing a half-remembered version of a classic with some made up lyrics and different chords. This is a similar process except here Hill has gone about (re)arranging these songs with a more considered approach. The album sleeve notes that these songs began as “everyone’s” but were remade by Hill.The songs, many familiar, include The Cuckoo, Cindy, Three Hundred Miles, Rye Whiskey, Down By the Riverside and Goodbye Old Paint.

Given his skills, the assumption is that Hill plays all the instruments on the album  as there is no one else credited other than vocalist Stephanie Lines. And Hill is a vocalist capable of giving these songs the focus they need to work. The arrangements have enough layers to make them worthy of repeated listening. Hill has been inventive in how he approaches the sound. In one case he ‘deconstructed’ a guitar to create the sound of a dulcimer using chopsticks and paper clips. 

Hill has a sensitivity that understands the source material and makes it contemporary, rather than simply replaying it. This then is a fresh coat of paint on venerable structures and a really enjoyable experience for roots music fans everywhere.

Jon Chi 'Another Rising Sun' - Self Release

Chi takes a mix of influences which are a blend of rock, blues, folk, roots and gospel which give hints of Tom Petty and the Grateful Dead’s broad approach to American music. The songs are written, produced and recorded by Chi, other than his version of The Battle is Over (But the War Goes On) (a song previously associated with Levon Helm) and they tell of his upbringing and journey. Killer from Our Hometown is about s a man who went from school bully to something far more sinister and is delivered with a strong vocal backing that helps set a brooding tone for the tale. The title song has a more bluesy approach and it highlights Chi’s rounded vocal which is written with enough space to let the music flow. 

One More Shot at the Light builds slowly, with the band coming in and with organ and vocals adding much to a gospel feel which enhances the title. Alvarado has a longing for other places, since left, with a sensitive vocal that is in keeping with a longing for this missed place. Throughout, the band gives an accomplished performance that can move from a mid-tempo rocker to something more subtle. The writing shows thought and variation that balances well between lighter and darker themes. While it is not overtly roots sounding, it tends towards that end of the spectrum. The closing song The End of the Road has some fine slide guitar and closes the album in a nice soulful, sweeping mode that underlines the overall quality of Chi’s music.

Hat Check Girl 'At 2 in the Morning'- Gallway Bay

Hat Check Girl is collaboration between veteran songwriters Annie Gallup and Peter Gallway and is their fifth recording. These 11 songs highlight deeply literate songwriting and a mature knowledge of the craft. Stripped down and bare, the intimacy of the recording comes across as truly authentic.

Annie sings and plays guitars, banjo, dobro, and lap steel. She has ten releases to her name and her finely honed playing and writing skills are always strongly evident. Peter is featured on vocals, acoustic and electric guitars. He has released more than a dozen recordings. As a producer he’s been involved in over fifty albums and other projects.

These are songs of understated connection; connection with each other, with our inner selves, with our darker sides, but ultimately with the untold regrets and hidden memories that we keep locked away. There is not a weak song on this recording and it contains some spine-tingling moments of magic when the two musicians spark off each other with restrained guitar interplay.

Steel Clouds and Cold Cold Rain is written in tribute to Joni Mitchell and reflects her life perfectly. Texas is refers to the great song-writers from that state who have graced our lives. Tornados Sound Like Trains is a haunting insight into our different life experience and Coal Black Pony explores the complexities in trying to understand someone intimately.

Leaving is a wonderfully realised song that covers the full range of emotions experienced in relationships and the inevitable urge for self- blame. Coda: Remember is an absolute master class in song-writing, incorporating key parts of other songs on this release and blending the individual parts into a cohesive whole. Many delights await the listener and this release goes to the top of my favourites for 2015. It is simply superb.

Jen Starsinic 'The Flood and the Fire'- Dangerous You

This debut release from Nashville-based Jen Starsinic arrives as one of the biggest surprises of 2015. The eleven songs are all self-penned and show a depth and maturity that is rare in a new artist. Produced by Brady Custis, and including some excellent studio musicians, the sound is both old world and gentle.

Jen sings very sweetly and there is a plaintive tone to her voice that gives the songs an added feeling of reflective self-examination. The lyrics are clever and self-contained, with the players capturing the warmth of the songs perfectly in their playing. Piano, banjo, pedal steel, fiddle, cello and guitars blend seamlessly into an atmosphere of soothing melody.

Stay deals with a spinster who has been afraid of commitment her whole life and the frustration caused by a lack of trust. It is a beautifully arranged song and full of compassion. Since You’ve Come Around is a song of lost relationships, where the flame has died. Ragdolls contemplates the same theme of lost love but with a decidedly darker outcome. Dive a Little Deeper is a plea to surrender to the forces at play in a romance. This is music which satisfies the soul and raises the spirits.

Whelan 'The Story of Ike Dupree' - Presidio

Following on from Flood Waters Rising (2013), this release is a 13 track blues inspired journey that include the adventures of Ike Dupree, who crops up in a number of songs. His character was inspired by the abuse of police powers in New Orleans after hurricane Katrina. The songs include a horn section that is arranged by both Fred Wesley (8 tracks) and Ron Horton (3 tracks).

The backline is excellent on all songs and the edge provided by the backing singers and tight arrangements lead to a very energising listen. Organ and piano mix with the percussion and wind instruments to produce a heady thrill on songs like Ice Water and Lighten Up. Too Cold Ohio Blues has a traditional stripped back sound and the Rainmaker has a light jazz swing to the arrangement with the horn section stealing the show.

Sid Whelan has an impressive guitar prowess, holding his own against a coterie of accomplished players.

Sam Outlaw 'Angeleno' - Six Shooter/Thirty Tigers

A lot has been made of Sam Outlaw’s stage name. Maybe it’s to do with expectations of the music that would emanate from such a moniker. Outlaw is not an outlaw in the mode of artists usually associated with that term; rather Sam Outlaw plays music that is influenced by traditional country music since the 50s. He takes elements of music he likes and creates something that is very contemporary and totally distinctive. Country music is about the voice and the song. Both are here and both are good. Prior to this collection he has released a debut album Nobody Loves Sam Outlaw and an eponymous five track EP. These recordings show that Outlaw’s voice and sound were established from the start. Country love songs are the overriding theme of his writing and indeed that is the title of a song that features on both albums.

The album was produced by Ry Cooder and his son Joachim something the two rarely do, so they obviously recognised something special in Outlaw’s music. Mentioned should be made of Ry’s refined and relevant guitar playing and Joachim’s steady and effectively paced drumming throughout. Both add much to the overall feel of the album and are alone a lesson in music made with understanding and feeling. The production is clear, warm and balanced giving the songs the right sense of mood appropriate to each. Outlaw also brings in harmony singer Molly Jenson along with steel player Jeremy Long, both long time members of Outlaw’s live and recording band, to give some continuity to his previous recordings - both of which are worth hearing.

Outlaw’s songs are the key to the success of this album from the opening Who Do You Think You Are? to the title song and such highlights as I’m Not Jealous, Love Her For  a While and It Might Kill Me all of which have an acute sense of melody and are memorable. Indeed, I have found myself returning to listen to Outlaw’s music more often than I have to other better know names. This album is not exception and is one that rewards listening. Angeleno has a broad base that sees strings, Spanish guitar and mariachi blended in a effective and enlightening way. The atmospheric guitar and banjo on Country Love Song enhance its sense of longing. In fact as I listen, each song is equally pleasing and makes for an album of timeless songs. 

As mentioned, it is the classic combination of song and voice that the makes this music work. It is not music that is likely to be embraced by mainstream country radio. It should be noted that Sam Outlaw is not doing anything that has not been done before, but he brings these elements together in a way that is interesting and deserves recognition. Equally this album is part of the resurgence of some real country music in California. If you don’t expect long beards, tattoos and a modicum of bad language, then this Outlaw’s music is something that will hold you captive and it is one of the year’s best releases.

Daniel Romano 'If I’ve Only One Time Askin’' - New West

The Canadian singer/songwriter and producer returns with his best album to date. Romano uses country music as a basis for his songs, but draws from many sources to make his music contemporary and compelling. Once again this is far removed from the output of Nashville’s Music Row and so much more interesting because of it. Romano is a stylist and presents his music as a concept the he has conceived from writing, producing and performing through to photography and packaging. He is also a distinctive singer who breathes life into these songs of love.

This is love looked at in all it’s aspects from the disenchantment of Old Fires Die to the hope of The One That Got Away (Came Back Today). Strange Faces and All The Way Under the Hill are endowed with weeping pedal steel and twangy guitar.  There is a striking vocal intro to There’s a Hardship that is otherworldly, with Romano emoting the word “Mosey” before the song turns into a country lament with piano and accordion. Mosey is a key word here in that it defines his music and attitude. “A study in contrasts” he has called it. It is something that appears on the back of his leather jacket and in other aspects of his presentation and is used to sum up his eclectic approach to his personal take on country and sundry other musical traditions. Taking them and turning them, as he does here, into something very much his own.

His skill as a writer is matched by his skill as a producer in bringing these songs to life and in telling the stories that are relevant to an audience who can listen to such crafted music with an open mind. The old-school storytelling of Two Word Joe is done without artifice, telling the story of a two-time loser who can only sum up his feeling in two words. It’s country bed is enhanced by some judicious wah-wah guitar playing. This runs, as do all the songs, straight for one song into the next track and often linked by a short musical interlude that can sound like slipping across the radio dial from a country station to one playing something completely different. The way this is done, however, is pretty seamless and not the least bit incongruous. The final song is introduced by an old timer singing with an acoustic guitar in a what sound like a piece of found music before fading into a gentle and reflective song Let Me Sleep (At The End of a Dream) which is sung with an assured vocal and some smokey pedal steel guitar.

This promo CD comes without any credits, so I’m assuming that all the songs (bar his cover of a lesser know George Jones recording Learning To Do Without Me, written by Dennis Knutson, Buck Moore and Doodle Owens) are originals. Equally the playing throughout is spot on and, without access to credits, I’m also assuming that the music is provided largely by Romano himself with contributions from members of his band The Trilliums. Caitlin Rose is a welcome guest and sings on Strange Faces. In photographs Romano has appeared in a rhinestone suit and in a classic pinstripe suit as well as a cowboy hat and leather jacket. Visually as well as musically he draws on the past and adapts a multitude of sources to create his own music. The end result is pure Romano and the album is another contender for best of the year.