Reviewed by Ewan Jones

This solo project features long time collaborator Jean-Pierre Rudolph as a guest but here Cordner takes the opportunity to wander from the pair's more traditional folk sound. The arrangements give a nod to his Celtic roots via Americana, jazz (on playful track "Thinking"), a bit of blues and some straight up soft rock ala Dire Straits. Often many of these genre shifts crop up within one song and for the most part it works a great success. "Peter Pan" is well played but vocally is not a strong opener. "Before The Gun" pays tribute to some of Cordner's influences and tells of the positive choice to pursue expression through songwriting, while epic ballad "Worth Of A Song" follows that theme and closes the album, further hinting at bygone musical heroes while extolling the virtue of singing for singing's sake. "The Orchard" is a nostalgic look back to simpler times with a dab of wisdom for living in the present - it's a gorgeous song that makes the most of Giffin's sultry sax. "Old Dan" takes a lighter tone (musically at least), being a country number telling the story of Cornder's grandfather who shot a man in Louisiana and had to flee to Texas, way back in the early 1900s. The album features some outstanding playing from the whole band but particularly good is drummer James Anderson, who plays with real imagination yet doesn't detract from the other musicians - it's a shame that sometimes he's a little low in the overall mix. This is a diverse and fun album although some fans will miss the more traditional sound. Still, Cordner shows that he is a master songwriter, adept at penning tunes in a number of different styles and these songs manage to make social comment without being preachy and express humour without compromising intelligence.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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