Prodigal Son

Review "Never Any Good" would be a classic even without Kate Rusby's lilting harmony vocals. A blues written for slide guitar is magnificent. -- THE TELEGRAPH A quiet masterpiece. There are classic English ballads, excursions into Americana and a clutch of open-hearted originals- resulting in an album of easy elegance. FOUR STARS -- THE OBSERVER MUSIC MONTHLY If you're the kind of person who's been waiting in vain for Ry Cooder to repeat the trick [of his early albums], try this. Martin Simpson's staggering technique is here bent to the service of deserving material from both traditional and contemporary sources. -- THE WORD The [album] has range, a relaxed mastery and emotional depth - this is roots music at its richest. FIVE STARS -- THE LIST Thirty years of recording and this could be his all-round best yet. His singing is more assured than it has ever been -- fROOTS Product Description Martin Simpson is the complete natural musician, but his virtuosity on the guitar has often tended to unfairly overshadow his vocal and interpretive powers. His new album PRODIGAL SON demonstrates his further growth as a player, singer and composer, with an eclectic mix of British and American traditional and composed songs as well as some stunning compositions of his own. He has also brought in musicians of superb calibre to enhance the recording. Kate Rusby and Kellie While add backing vocals, there is Danny Thompson on bass and Andy Cutting on accordion and the great Jackson Browne adds vocals to Martin's masterful take on the Randy Newman classic, "Louisiana 1927", a tribute to New Orleans where he lived for several years. Other highpoints are his own compositions "Never Any Good" which he wrote for his father and the instrumental piece "Mother Love" written for his daughter Molly. Housed in a striking digipack, with outstanding photography by David Angel, the complete package is Martin's best to date.