To Drink the Rain Music Road Records****

"Joyful and skittish" might seem at odds with the legacy image of gravel-voiced veteran singer and tunesmith Malcolm Holcombe. But the 55-year- old's eighth solo album opens with One Leg at a Time, a delightful slice of bright-eyed boogie that attempts to set the tone for what follows. Still, it would be a bit much to expect Holcombe to keep his darker thoughts at bay for an album. He doesn't, but there is good balance to this collection, harnessing the folkier side of blues to the bluesier side of folk, with the string-band colours of country and old time playing their part. It helps that the playing is tops, not least the work of fiddler Luke Bulla. Songs such as the rhythmically intense title track, the restless Where I Don't Belongand the Dylanish Reckon to the Windportray a man increasingly at ease with his rustic art and himself. See malcolmholcombe. com

Download tracks: Reckon to the Wind, One Leg at a Time