Vincent Cross
Album: A Town Called Normal
Label: Self Released
Tracks: 12
Website: http://www.vincentcross.com

Born in Dublin, raised in Australia and living in New York, Cross is a new name to me, although this is his third album and he also has two EPs to his credit. It certainly make me want to seek out the back catalogue. He's been lauded by Odetta, which is understandable given he's clearly rooted in the same 60s folk scene sounds that produced the likes of Seeger, Guthrie and Dylan, all of which are obvious influences here, although the title track extends the connection to conjure thoughts of the early Band albums.

Odetta said he reminded her of the mountain music that shaped her own sound, and you can certainly hear Appalachia and bluegrass roots in numbers such as the very nasally Guthriesque banjo and mandolin led Cursed, Childish Things (which references Maya Angelou's poem I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings), the yee haw feel of My Love and a folk blues interpretation of the traditional tune Cuckoo that exits on a breakdown flurry. On the other hand, both the infectious poppy bounce of Turn Your Eyes and, once the tempo picks up, Trouble Being There fit more comfortably into the contemporary newgrass scene.

Elsewhere, he moves further from the genre, Footnotes is a brief polyrhythmic instrumental with flamenco hints, Silent Waltz's mandolin accompanied tale of a lonesome barstool Christmas nods to early Tom Waits, Walking On The Outside skirts acoustic alt-country territory and Wrack and Ruin heads straight for the honky tonk to share a beer with George Jones while album closer, Sometimes, with its upright bass and brushed drums, reminds me of the softer melancholy of Paul Simon. He's not offering anything new, but he's definitely giving familiarity his own distinctive mark.

Mike Davies