By GRAHAM REID
(Herald rating: * * * *)
Nope, not Otago goldfield ballads - but acoustic Southern blues from the dark-voiced Austrian inspired by Mississippi John Hurt, Leadbelly and Robert Johnson.
No imitator, he takes John Fogerty's 110 in the Shade back to its origins in a humid, fly-buzzin' cottonfield, St James Infirmary includes a discreet melodic reference to Greensleeves, he comfortably includes Hank Williams' I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry alongside his own Rained Five Days, and everywhere treats the material with heart and understanding. If deft and deep acoustic blues is your thing, look no further.
Label: Blue Groove
<I>Hans Theessink:</I> Songs from the Southland
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