Now forty years working as a successful solo artist, the former Granny’s Intentions man has long written about the journey through life and its tribulations, most notably on ‘The Voyage’, the song covered by Christy Moore and which is now a popular choice as a wedding couple’s first dance.
Inspired by his own experiences of the struggles and challenges of growing old with “winter” as a metaphor for life’s closing season, his latest album confronts the reality of ageing. Bare-boned with just acoustic guitar and voice(s), introspective songs like ‘Charity Of Pain’ and ‘In Defeat’ recall the atmosphere on Johnny Cash’s ‘Hurt’. The dying light and the barren winter landscape inhabit ‘Slant Of Light’ and the lovely ‘Rising With The Sun’, while he reserves some anger for contemporary issues, particularly the banking collapse: “Winter has never been so cold,” he sings on the title-track. “Our country has been sold into monetary slavery.”
Stark at times but ultimately a rewarding listen. Also comes with an accompanying DVD.

Key Track: 'Rising With The Sun'