Reviewed by Tony Cummings

Folk blues electronica is not a subgenre of music likely to get any radio play on any radio station I know about. But this is what Scottish blues singer Lins and keyboard man/producer Gary Robertson have achieved with "Black Dog", the truly outstanding song here. Taking a bluesy song played on mandolin and giving it a judderingly rhythmic electronic accompaniment is unusual enough in itself. But when you add a lyric about the Devil or maybe one of his demons, you have one of the most unusual tracks these old ears have heard for years. If you're tired of songs that diss the Devil that Christian metal and hip-hop have been turning out for a long time, master lyricist Honeyman and programmer Robertson demonstrate here that there's still mileage to be found in the hellish subject matter which is neither trite nor stereotyped. And if you're thinking that putting together a lyric that might have been penned by Robert Johnson with a rhythm track that's made for the dance floor is decidedly left-field, you'd be right. There are still a few production points on 'Songs From The Back Of My Head' that should have been addressed that if they had would have lifted this album to a 10 square rating. For instance, the female BVs that come in on one song should have been there throughout; "Ready For The Summer" is a pleasant enough song but isn't in the same class as the best numbers here like "Black Dog" and "Charles Atlas, Where Are You Now?"; and "Positronic" is such an ambitious cut that it sounds like more hours of overdubbing and remixing are needed to take it to the epic proportions it has the potential to possess. In the meantime, Lins and Gary can be justly proud of what they have achieved on a zero budget release. Will it be successful? Now there's the rub. To my knowledge, one of the best albums of 2018 (not one of Lins') has so far had a physical sale of a paltry 100 copies. Clearly in this streaming era, inventive, well-crafted music can easily be missed. But if the idea of folk blues electronica appeals to you, this is an album you need to search out. Or ask Alexa.

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