Seasick Steve – You Can't Teach An Old Dog New Tricks

While much of Seasick Steve’s popularity may have come from his good-natured persona and impressive collection of jury-rigged instruments, it can’t detract from the fact that he is now recognised as one of the most original and talented singer/songwriters in recent years, an accolade that his latest album will do nothing to refute. It’s primarily a blues record, but he shows that the things you can do within that framework are incalculable.

With his breezy, fingerpick-heavy playing style and a voice that seems hewn from rock as old as Earth itself, he is able to inject a solemn gravitas to the stony opener Treasure, but without any noticeable shift he can add a gritty beauty to the gospel-derived It’s a Long, Long Way. Every song speaks volumes not only about America but also the man himself and in this way he has penned an album that fits his style snugly. Not too weighty, not too rock’n’roll, but all too human. [David Bowes]