Steve Reynolds, Exile (Fulfill/Exile)

I know nothing of this LA-based Canadian singer-songwriter other than he turned up on that pretty good tribute to the Band, Endless Highway, that came out last year. (He did a fine version of Stage Fright)

But this rollicking, often urgent-sounding acoustic driven folk-rock is an excellent showcase of his many talents, from finger-picking to intimate ballads sung in a pack-a-day, whisky-cured voice.

With a small band (of multi-instrumentalists so you get piano, trumpet, accordion, organ and so on) Reynolds has been winning an increasing critical reaction Stateside for his his live shows -- but in the absence of seeing him, this will do nicely for now.