Roots

Bap Kennedy: Lonely Street (LSD)

This former frontman with Northern band Energy Orchard has been carving out a career for himself as a notable songwriter in the alternative country world with his tribute to Hank Williams (Hillbilly Shakespeare) and his first solo album, Domestic Blues. This collection is also directly inspired by Hank and that other giant of American music, Elvis. The songs follow the fateful trajectory of their respective lives, but this is no hackneyed parade of maudlin country favourites. While the 13 tracks are not exactly a barrel of laughs, Kennedy creates an impressive backdrop of resignation and reflection against which he pits his songs of quiet alienation and despair. It may not be very twangy, but it's not bad; in fact its excellence should ensure a large turnout for Kennedy's Irish tour next month, which kicks off in his native Belfast on the 17th before heading to Dublin, Galway, Wexford, Waterford and Cork.

Joe Breen

Steve Forbert: Evergreen Boy (Koch)

What is it that makes Steve Forbert, who plays in Vicar Street on Sunday, so quietly reassuring? Is it the wispy intimacies of his voice, the simple wisdom of his telling lyrics, the enticing roundness of his softly curved melodies, or the reflective melancholia that has become his trademark? This singer/songwriter from Meridian, Mississippi, has known hype and heartache, but these days his songs carry the weight of weary wisdom merged with an indomitable spirit of just keeping on keeping on. Perhaps this collection is not the equal of his masterly Mission of the Crossroads Palms from 1995. It does, however, come close. Jim Dickinson's production colours Forbert's folk-rock leanings with dashes of southern deep soul though songs such as Trusting Own Soul, It Doesn't Matter Much or Something's Got A Hold Of Me, need little ornamentation.

Joe Breen

More CDs reviewed in tomorrow's Weekend supplement.