Louis Ledford is a storyteller who presents his tales in music, accompanied by acoustic guitar, harmonica and banjo. Ledford, whose roots go deep in the American South, has soaked up the best of that culture and music and transformed it into a modern form of folk.

These are intimate tales, told from the heart and backed by beautiful instrumentals. They are tales of hard times and simple desires made difficult. Ledford's voice and style are reminiscent of early Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash. Listening to his music is like sitting on the porch on a summer eve and hearing an old friend recount stories from his life and that of other friends.

The album features 13 original songs, all by Ledford except for two by Louisiana songwriter Gina Phillips, exploring a host of emotions ranging from love and lust to doubt and fear.

According to the album liner, the seeds of this recording were sown while recording "Reverie" in 2004 when producer Bob Rupe suggested the tracks with Ledford playing alone were among that record's best. The title comes from a Jack Kerouac comment on the death of Neal Cassady that Ledford found quoted in a copy of Rolling Stone magazine.

I like all the tracks on this album, but especially "Cup of Strong Black Coffee," "I Never Said" and "When You Fall." This is definitely one singer-songwriter I'll be looking to hear more from in the future.

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