Reviewed by Jamie Hailstone

Like any great bluesman, Australia's Chris Falson has a few stories to tell. 'A Tree By The Water' first came out in 1998 and Tony Cummings said back then "it's got a lot more grit than many an American praise album." This reissue has 12 tracks instead of the original 11 and a slightly different running order. A decade on and the album has worn very well. The funky, back porch feel suits the material well and because it wasn't trying to sound overtly contemporary back in 1997, nothing has dated. The drum brushes, Fender Rhodes and Hammond organ sound as good today as they always did. Chris's gritty vocals go from a Tom Waits-esque growl on "Everything's Alright" to more like Bryan Adams or Chris Rea on "Peace Of God". "You Can Talk The Talk" recalls the late Stevie Ray Vaughan at the height of his powers, with a powerful bluesy swagger and some excellent guitar work by Chris himself. As a songwriter, Chris has penned many well known standards, like "Walk By Faith", which have been covered by others but it's always good to hear tunes sung by the guy who wrote them. This CD comes straight from the heart and is all the better for it.

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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