Kevin Bowe's Restoration is one of the best country records from a "total unknown" that I've heard in a long time.

From the power of the opening 'Sault Ste Marie', I was hooked. The acoustic guitar, harmonica and twang guitar intro prefaces a song that suggests a Steve Earle/John Mellencamp axis, in its soulful heartland appeal. After that, it's a supercharged ride through memorable song after memorable song.

The pace is mainly mid to uptempo but takes a quieter route on 'Lonesome Angel', a track co-written by Bowe with Leo Kottke; 'Which Way The Wind Blows' also takes a more stripped-down direction, featuring mainly acoustic guitar and some sad fiddle. Bowe possess a strong, lived-in voice that is well up to the task of delivering songs which, in the main, are relationship-based. One of the best is 'Dead Letters', a wrenching tale of departed love expressed in five letters that are never going to be sent.

All this and there's even a hidden track too, a loose version of 'Tight Fittin' Jeans' proving that these guys don't take themselves too seriously.