Reviewed by Lins Honeyman

After three albums as the leader of the now disbanded Tim Crahart Blues Band, the eponymous singer/songwriter from Risca, South Wales has traded in his characteristic electric guitar licks to reinvent himself as a folk singer and his maiden voyage under this guise is quite simply a joy to hear. From the stall-setting opener "Broken", Crahart has completely grasped the purpose of folk music in its truest form with a range of defiant songs kicking against oppression and injustice whilst sticking up for the common person against the might of the incumbent political regime - all done to great effect with Crahart's trademark attack mode vocals and with nothing much more than a hammered-out acoustic guitar and the occasional banjo or bouzouki. As a result, songs like "Homeless Lord" and "Common Folk" are a rallying cry not to follow the rich but to instead seek a different path whilst the stirring "Call Me A Fool" is a thinly-veiled but expertly-delivered and timely comment on the segregation, hatred and intolerance encouraged by a certain Donald Trump. As fans of his former band would expect, Crahart remains forthright in relation to matters of faith and the Christian message is woven without compromise throughout this release's 14 tracks with innovative retellings of Bible stories like the wedding at Cana ("Lake Of Beer") and Jesus' temptation in the wilderness ("The Temptation") - the latter uniquely telling the tale from the Devil's point of view and featuring a fine lead vocal from daughter Iona - giving a fresh spin to familiar yarns. In true folk fashion, Crahart also gives the occasional history lesson with the likes of "The Ballad Of Anne Greene" and the WW1 armistice song "Now It Is Christmas Day" showcasing the man's storytelling chops whilst cheeky lines like "if you point the finger, I've got two more for you" and "take all your riches and shove 'em" prove that there is a raging fire burning underneath this superb album's overriding message of love, unity and acceptance.

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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