CD Reviews

> Big Daddy Wilson. Thumb A Ride. Ruf Records.
3 stars (out of 5)

[1]
Big Daddy Wilson's second album, recorded in Germany with fellow Europe-based acoustic guitar-slingers Jochen Bens and Michael van Merwyk, goes back to the roots of blues: simple, sorrowful, sometimes joyous songs are brought to life by technically deft playing.

Wilson boasts a rich baritone that oozes through the gaps of often sparse arrangements, occasionally augmented by percussion (cajon and conga).

Boasting 13 originals, Thumb A Ride pulls off the difficult trick of sounding both authentically well-worn and fresh at the same time.

Single download: It Don't Get No Better.
For those who like: Malcolm Holcombe, Tim O'Brien.

- Shane Gilchrist

> Guy Clark. Songs And Stories. Dualtone.
3 stars

[2]
American songwriting's favourite uncle is moving a little stiffly these days, perhaps to be expected given his age and the state of his health.

Here he has roped in a few old buddies and together they pick their way through a cosily familiar set, interspersing the songs with amusing anecdotes - the titular Stories - on how certain tracks came into being.

While Clark's singing is too laboured now for him to turn in a definitive performance, and the Verlon Thompson bracket a shade too long, these are songs that will stand up forever and the fraying versions delivered here are a poignant reminder of the Texan's mastery of his craft.

Single download: Stuff That Works
For those who like: Rodney Crowell, Greg Brown, Tom Russell

- Paul Mooney

> The Horrible Crowes. Elsie. Side One Dummy.

[3]
A side project for The Gaslight Anthem's frontman Brian Fallon, The Horrible Crowes are a brilliant entity in their own right. Elsie gives Fallon and longtime friend Ian Perkins room to stretch out in some unexpected directions.

The duo have crafted a beguiling mix of rock, gospel and folk that owes as much to Fallon's vocals and subtle injection of strings as it does to Perkins' haunting open chord phrasing and slide embellishments.

Fallon's raw tales of relationship woe swing seamlessly from chiming kaleidoscope highs to gravelly downtrodden lows. It's anything but horrible.

Single download: Go Tell Everyone
For those who like: The Afghan Whigs, Tom Waits, Ryan Adams

- Mark Orton