Album Review: Richard Clapton - The House Of Orange

With that still immediately identifiable twangy yowl, it's maybe surprising our venerable Richard Clapton hasn't recorded in Nashville before.

What often gets lumped as 'Americana' now fits with his sometimes troubled storytelling —  although you feel he hopes the bridge of Carry Me Home is the one that looks down onto Circular Quay. There are gun players and expat Australian producer Mark Moffatt in charge, and things are mostly sharply focused. That's particularly noticeable in a couple of older songs revisited; the ripping closing take on 1979's Hearts On The Nightline, now riding on Billy Nobel's honky-tonk piano, is tighter and looser than it's ever been. It's an album of craftsmen at work.