Ken Layne has been too generous with the praise for the mastering jobby I did on his CD. I'm not sure it would make much difference to most people getting it for the first time, as it's all about the songs. I think I remember writing to him about this idea that if people can listen to ancient Robert Johnson recordings or the Lomax recordings--shrouded in deep mists of noise--and enjoy them and love them, then there's no reason these songs can't do the same, mastering or not. It's the music after all.

So if you've not already ended up here from there, and you don't know who Ken Layne is, go here and buy a copy. Some initial reviews have appeared here, here, and here. Ken had a bunch of blurbs on his site at one point but I think he took them down.

I remember describing this collection of songs as something reminiscent of the Stones meets Nick Cave, with a strong dash of Leonard Cohen, Hank Williams, a healthy dose of The Animals, some psychedelic flourishes a la early Pink Floyd, all kind of filtered through the lens of Fellini, plus great lyrics that will actually really make you listen closely. It's akin to those artists, but it's also very much its own thing, with its own sound and voice: classic, infectious songwriting with great vitality and wit. And it just gets better the more you listen.