Chuck Ragan - Covering Ground
Chuck Ragan is a man intergrated in the global punk-folk scene.
Besides his work fronting punk band Hot Water Music, and his acoustic-driven solo career, he's also the founder of The Revival Tour.
Established in 2008, the tour takes folk-influenced (usually punk) musicians on the road for a truly collaborative event.
Ragan releases his latest solo record Covering Ground this week, and it will continue to cement him as a great singer-songwriter.
Heavily influenced by punk, folk and country, the album is special not so much because of any surprises in style, but rather the talent and emotion on display.
Ragan's vocals walk a line between raw but powerful, rough but wonderful, and he puts in fantastic performances on songs like 'You Get What You Give'.
It's a testament to the quality of the songs, and the power of his voice, that they sound so huge here, despite being stripped to vocals, guitar and the occasional fiddle and bass.
With an apparent maintream trend towards auto-tune, it's refreshing to hear some real singing, with genuine passion.
As Ragan's star begins to rise as a solo artist, tracks like 'Come Around' are catchy enough to gain him some wider appeal.
Really though, that's not what this music is about - it's beautiful and honest, a remarkable combination of lyrical and musical brilliance.
Covering Ground is an album that critics and fans alike will adore, feeling warmly familiar but exciting.
This is further proof that the art of an album isn't dying or dead, working beautifully as another stunning body of work to add to Ragan's catalogue.
Female First - Alistair McGeorge