Joe Henry has been a particular favourite of mine since the release of the alt-country classic Short Man’s Room (recorded with members of The Jayhawks) in 1992. He soon moved away from the country-ish edges to an edgier, more rhythm-oriented direction somewhere between Tom Waits and Daniel Lanois.

He makes albums music people like, songs that don’t get played on radio (3RRR the noble exception), but which deserve a far wider audience. He has also become a much sought-after producer – working with Allen Toussaint, Ramblin Jack Elliott, Loudon Wainwright, Betty Lavette and Mary Gauthier over the past five years or so. It seems anything Joe Henry puts his name to is worth a listen – like Daniel Lanois himself in the 90s.

This new album begins almost disconcertedly with a solo piano prelude before launching into a bluesy and raw ‘The Man I Keep’. It’s no surprise he has taken on a little of a blues vibe given he has just worked with Toussaint and Elliott, who re-worked some classic blues songs on their albums. A definite contender for my album of the year list.