Although I am reliably informed that he hates the comparison, laid-back, countrified, folksy and rootsy Americana is what Will Oldham, or to give him his stage name of Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, delivers with great gusto, better than almost anybody at the moment.

Mind you, there is some truly great music coming from The States at this time and, while this Kentuckyman is about as far away from Santa Fe resident Zach Condon, of Beirut fame, you can hear the distant similitude of back-porch, down-home quality sounds, tinged with imported elements, that could only emanate from that part of the world, which seems to have discovered ‘world music’, as if it never existed before.

The man’s voice is delightfully frail and slightly fractured, yet highly memorable in its delivery, which creates his unique appeal. And yet, there is something reminiscent of Neil Young in his gentle witterings. A sort of Neil Young without the grunge rock-on-his-shoulder aspects. However, before I continue in this comparative vein, into which it is so easy to tumble, as I listen to the thirteen sweetly proficient tracks, it is abundantly clear that this is an artiste with a purpose.

Unafraid of testing the peaks and troughs of musical endeavour, there is much to like and admire about his lyrical brilliance and his occasional dips into Laurel Canyon ambivalence. The complexity of each composition demands that you listen, eyes closed, drifting away with the steel guitar and electric string licks, admiring the accompanying fiddles, even xylophone and uplifting choral support and, yes, there are hints of Ray Lamontagne about him, when he emphasises certain phrases. However, there is an over-riding beauty to its form and function and its alluring, listen again desirability. I love it. I want more and there is plenty to choose from, Will is prolific.