"If you've ever heard Hank Williams sing/Well you know the whole blessed thing/Cause that's where I'm from." The narrator of That's Where I'm From, a standout track on a standout album, crystallises one of the major problems besetting country music: the gradual decline of the world that gave birth to it. The "from" is not only geographical, but cultural as well. It's about identity and belonging, and many of the characters and the stories that fill these 12 tracks are struggling to hold on. Fulks is the ideal man for this job, a fine country performer with a maverick streak and a keen intelligence to match. His knowledge of, and warmth for, country (and blues) traditions is apparent, not least in the often dazzling string band instrumentation and close harmonies that colour this brilliantly realised collection. robbiefulks.com
Download: Where I Fell, Imogene, Rose of Summer