New Pound Coin is a brilliant album, with new takes on American roots traditions, including bluegrass, folk and blues. If you like Donna the Buffalo, the Walkabouts or Vetiver, I think you will love this album by the Knights of Mentis. It's definitely more American roots than British/Celtic, and the lyrics tend to the elliptical, which I love.

I fell in love in the first measure of the first song ... and it kept getting better. All 11 songs are great. My favorites are "Your Man," a sweet, sometimes bittersweet, love song sung to someone probably loved and lost; "Red Diesel," in which the singing is secondary but the thrust of the instrumentals is very focused; the very catchy and sad "Maria"; and "The Other Side," which I'd call a song about aging, except it's more complicated ... and that's part of what I love about their lyrics.

The musicianship and the arrangements are wonderful. I really cannot imagine anything better. They are both terse and lush, and there is never an excessive note, nor a note missing.

I do wish the album came with a lyric sheet. These are lovely songs in text as well as musically, and providing the lyrics would only help one to love them more, especially since most of the songs deserve consideration of the thoughtful and poetic words.

Highly recommended, especially for people who like new music with a heavy grounding in American roots.