SAN FRAN GUITAR VIRTUOSO FINDS LIFE'S A CARNIVAL

"After several albums with country-rockers The Waybacks, Coyle's solo debut is a wonderfully imagined concept album about American carny folk and circus showmen. The dozen picaresque songs, sometimes spoken and sometimes sung, mix folk, bluegrass, ragtime and roots-rock with evocative sound effects, and are driven by Coyle's own classy fingericking, backed by a virtuosic acoustic ensemble. It all works a treat, mining traditional indigenous music forms to illuminate a fascinating slice of vernacular American history in much the same way as Ry Cooder's Chavez Ravine and My Name Is Buddy." - Nigel Williamson