Steve Wold returns with his third record and the follow on from 2006’s Dog House Music which caught the ears of the discerning music community and led to appearances on TV shows, award shows and features in magazines.

The new record keeps things autobiographical, exemplified by the title track and opening cut which touches on his life as a hobo and traveller around the USA after leaving home at the age of 14.

Interestingly he incorporates additional instrumentation, primarily in the form of drums and backing vocals which add another level and texture to the grooves.  These touches, along with cleaner production, show a progression to the sounds he presented on the last record without sacrificing the rawness and simplicity that made Dog House Music such a refreshing success.

One of the most interesting tracks is Just Like a King which is a duet with Nick Cave and a bluesy (boozy?) Grinderman.  It comes on like a long lost delta blues slow groove with slide guitar wailing away before settling into a moaning shuffle.  Cave adds a darker, more desperate edge behind Steve’s earthier tones which works brilliantly.

Fly By Night conjures up a moonlit creaking porch lament about sticking around while Thunderbird lives up to it’s name with a charging finish, all clattering sticks and strings like the Black Keys in a bathtub.

Steve has built on his unique take on the blues with the raw swing and drones of his three string guitar and delivered a record that steps up from Dog House Music to be a contender for our music geek top 10 lists in 2008.

Check out this Black Cab Session of Steve performing Chiggers which ended up on the new record: