Stevie Agnew
Album: The Wreckin' Yard
Label: Skiming Stone
Tracks: 13
Website: http://www.stevie-agnew.com

To my knowledge, Stevie Agnew is no relative of the former Sunderland footballer Steve Agnew, with whom he shares all but one letter of his name, but he definitely is the son of Nazareth's Pete Agnew, which may go a long way towards him getting his first guitar at the tender age of six and a love of the instrument and music ever since.

Whilst dad went down the pure rock road, Stevie Agnew chose the countrified flavour and together with drummer, Chris Smith, co-wrote "Wreckin' Yard" an album packed with story songs. Places and characters abound across the thirteen tracks.

Agnew acknowledges that "Wreckin' Yard" was written for Chris and him, but then a lot of the best albums are, it's just that they're written in a way the rest of us can relate to and this is easy to relate to.

Part of that is down to the gravelly context of Agnew's voice, which, according to my wife, oozes charm and just seems to fill out the song, in a way similar to the way that both Springsteen and Pacheco can. It also allows emotion to cling to it like a drowning man to twig, consequently it makes the songs feel like they mean something to the singer deep down.

Over the course of the album you'll find, bareknuckle boxers, fishing tales, distraught husbands, warriors and lovers. This isn't an album that standstill or travels a single road. "Wreckin' Yard" has plenty for you to get your teeth into, eat well.

Neil King