Howl On

The Bapster’s first album since 2005’s Lonely Street finds him revisiting his American musical roots and childhood memories. The 1969 moon landing looms large, as revealed by tracks such as ‘The Ballad Of Neil Armstrong’, ‘Irish Moon’ and the uppity ‘Cold War Country Blues’, which also namechecks Hank, Elvis and JFK. Henry McCullough adds muscular guitar to a country-rocked ‘Hey Joe’; the title-track is a beautifully reflective Dylanesque work; and the harmonica-driven ‘Brave Captain’ sounds like it could’ve graced Neil Young’s Harvest. Howl On is a lovingly-crafted set of tunes, one giant leap for a talented Belfast man.

Key Track: ‘Cold War Country Blues’