AS A vehicle for the songwriting of frontman Mike Ferrio, the (essentially acoustic) combo Tandy drive the music along pretty well. Bass and drums may be present and correct but, really, it’s the mixture of fiddle, mandolin, dobro, accordion and cello that gives the music its flavoursome blend of folk, roots, rock and countryish stylings, with added subtle Celtic touches.

The songs reflect a melancholy mood in titles like ‘Facing Winter (Alone Again)’ and ‘Disappeared’, yet the sound has a deft lightness of touch.

Whether it’s the Hammond organ on ‘Far From Home’, the bagpipes on ‘No Earthly Reason’ or the lap steel and mandicello on ‘Ship To Shore’, there is much here to engage the ear. Ferrio’s commanding voice is another striking feature, as is the additional vocal presence of Kelly Willis, especially on ‘Shine’, one of the album’s stand-out cuts.

On the stripped-down ‘Shannon Goodson’ – just voice and bluesy slide guitar – you get a glimpse of the strength of the core writer. And it’s to Ferrio’s credit that his songs work well in either setting.

With a whole lot of this type of music now coming out on small independent labels, it would be easy to overlook this kind of solid talent, so Irish label Independent are to be applauded for picking up on this fine album.