By Russell Barker

With the proliferation of singer-songwriters available for your delectation how do you manage do separate the wheat from the chaff? Well my friend this is where I come in, pointing you in the direction John Zonn. "Who?" I hear you cry. Well that doesn't really matter, you just need to feel the warmth of the acoustic songs that make up 'Portfolio Career', a selection of songs from John's back catalogue re-recorded first take in the studio. This decision is one that pays dividends, as the rough unpolished edges are one of the things that makes these songs special. The other is that he writes lyrics that are at turns, funny, heartfelt, happy, sad and much more about a range of everyday subjects. The album features some intricate guitar playing which can almost appear flamenco at times ('You Make Me Melt') and some accentuated, near crooning vocals. If by nothing else the album justifies itself over the space of one song, the heart rendingly sad 'Hands Of The Brewery'.

If you like your music melodic, thoughtful and unaffected you could do much worse than check out John Zonn.

For more info on John go here