Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

The enjoyment that comes from being entertained does not always arrive pre-packaged with the expectation of all that you know repeating itself; sometimes you must immerse yourself in the new to feel the pull of the soul and the heartbeat working in tandem to appreciate that what others might suggest is uninteresting without the voice, is in actuality the stirring of motivation, the stimulus of the mind creating for the listener the sense of having always had a completed list of their Favourite Flatpickers to hand.

So many styles await our discovery, so little time in which we believe we can invest, so consumed by what we know, we can barely spare a dime to break the habit, to be as our predecessors were, full of wonder and the unearthing of innovation unless it comes with a price tag that suggests wealth in monetary form.

Wealth though is not something you can place in a vault and see it accumulate on a page, it is a priceless belief that everybody deserves to be heard, to be allowed the time to tell their truth and their story, no matter what form it takes, and in the end we might surprise ourselves that we have thought outside the square rigidity of our form and chosen someone unknown to be amongst our Favourite Flatpickers.

It is to Mike T. Kerr, American born and Canadian raised, that the notion holds its sway, and in the superb album, Favourite Flatpickers, what strides across the ethereal stage is the belief that the music is seamless, remarkable, cool, and encouraging, and as tracks such as the opener Raggedy Ann, Billy In The Low Ground, the superb Deep In The 100 Acre Wood, Beggar’s Canyon Canon, Mouth of the Tobique and Ain’t You Kinda Sorry Now, the bluegrass tradition becomes unpredictable and almost verges on the subverted, for instead of custom and conventional layout, there is a sense of wonderful flavour of the anarchic surrounding the piece.

Customary, time-honoured certainly, but not conforming to the accepted or the old fashioned, instead it has a groove that resonates, that skilfully introduces itself as unusually progressive.

A sensationally foot tapping album to get your feet and heart going, a new habit in which to explore and embrace.

Mike T. Kerr’s Favourite Flatpickers is available to purchase now.

Ian D. Hall