Martin Harley grew up on the Thames delta (Woking), though you wouldn’t guess so from the Tennessee drawl of his vocals on this live-in-the-studio set recorded in Nashville. Though cut in “a handful of hours”, it proves a handsome showcase for Harley’s talents as acoustic guitarist, writer and performer, his dexterity on slide guitar coupled with the busy, thrumming double bass of new sidekick Daniel Kimbro. The pair hit a relaxed, Ry Cooder-esque groove on originals such as Winter Coat and Cardboard King, serve up clever covers of Lead Belly and Tom Waits, and raise the temperature on Money Don’t Matter and Nobody’s Fault But Mine, with intricate playing yoked to passionate vocals. A spellbinding 50 minutes.
