Jackie Leven - Straight Outta Caledonia... The Songs Of Jackie Leven LP

One of the most criminally overlooked songwriters of the last thirty years, Leven’s solo work (after his stint fronting Doll By Doll) feels like it draws a line between Richard Thompson or John Martyn’s UK folk leanings and the new wave production of his youth (but he pulls it off a hell of a lot better than Thompson or Martyn’s forays into new wave and the 1980s), or maybe if The Triffids took some hints from Prefab Sprout’s Steve McQueen on how to write a hook!

Perfect songs full of killer melodies, humour (not sure if I can think of a better song name than “The Sexual Loneliness of Jesus Christ”), great production, and incredible writing. Never far from my listening rotation, can’t recommend highly enough!!! –Mitch