When Melbourne singer-songwriter Jordie Lane sings “I’m going back, back in time / To where hearts were true, true and kind” with such yearning in Diamond Ring, we follow him there. Transformative experiences travelling through the Californian desert and staying in Room 8 of the Joshua Tree Inn (where his hero Gram Parsons died) have instilled Lane’s sophomore album, Blood Thinner, with a devastatingly raw, intimate and stripped-bare temperament.
The tale of a lonesome traveller finding truth and redemption in suffering, betrayal and self-defeatism is expressed through Lane’s affecting vocals, perceptive storytelling and evocative finger-picked guitar/banjo melodies. Lane has written a moving and inspired second record that traverses West-coast country, gospel, bluegrass and alt-folk while delving into grittier themes and more aching lyrical terrain than debut album, Sleeping Patterns (2009).
In the poignant closing track, I Sinned Today, Lane addresses life’s most burdensome questions with a stirring sensitivity; his love of Americana and ragged blues-folk emphasise his away-from-home inspirations and influences. As Blood Thinner ascertains, Lane epitomises the curious nomadic musician who’s more intent on finding soul than home.
Best Track: Not From Round Here
If You Like These, You’ll Like This: The Gleaner BRENDAN WELCH, Hidden Hands JEN CLOHER, Nebraska BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN
In A Word: Stirring
