It's the latest from Mark Harrison and his band, and perhaps their most heartfelt album to date.
Mark Harrison has been a Blues/Roots musician for many years, and to me, he is one of the most unique musicians working today. He has an incredible knowledge of Blues music from the 30's onwards, and writes in the style of legendary musicians, but on his own terms.
He is joined on the album by his regular band, Charles Benfield on double bass and harmony vocals and Ben Welburn on drums, percussion and backing vocals. Guy Bennett, an old friend of the band, contributes on electric guitar and keyboards. Harrison himself plays a '30s resonator guitar, a 12-string guitar and, for the first time, an electric guitar.
As always, the songs themselves are stories, perhaps about contemporary life or blues legends or personal memories, all sung in his dry, slightly Midlands accent (he's originally from Coventry).
This time he touches on the topic of “them and us” – the difference between the people who actually make the products and the people who “manage” the companies without any understanding of what it takes to make those products.
As always, there are some umbers about blues legends – “Sonny Boys” (where the original Sonny Boy Williamson met an impostor and suffered even more ill effects), “Fancy Hotel” or “The Only One”.
Some songs speak to his own philosophy on life, and some simply talk about life today.
All in all, it's a treat for the ears: three accomplished musicians using instruments rather than samples or “toolkits” to create 13 tracks with melodies and hooks, some that will make you dance, some that will have you nodding wistfully, and some that will have you pumping your fists and yelling at the top of your lungs.