The latest CD releases reviewed

STEPHEN SIMMONS
Drink Ring Jesus Rounder ****

Stephen Simmons is a singer-songwriter from the small town of Woodbury, Tennessee. According to his website, "his mother was a schoolteacher and his father held a factory job. (In his family, they were the first generation that didn't work the farm) Humble and soft-spoken, Stephen at first seems to exemplify this rural, Church of Christ upbringing," And then you listen to these haunting struggles with faith and living and you hear a man confronting his angels and demons head on. Drink Ring Jesus is deliberately shorn of any ornamentation - we are into baring of the soul territory - with only acoustic guitar and harmonica for comfort. Simmons sings with a questioning and colourful intensity, drawn equally by the bar and the belfry. This is not about religion; it's about searching for and then questioning the things we believe. www.stephensimmonsmusic.com   Joe Breen

BRADLEY WALKER
Highway of Dreams Rounder ****

There are many things which set Bradley Walker apart from other country singers, but perhaps we should deal with the most important: his burnished tenor is among the most affecting I've heard since Randy Travis's debut all those year ago. Walker has also gathered around him some of the great and the good, including producer Carl Jackson, who has had the sound sense to sprinkle Walker's debut with a fine range of songs from the bluegrass, Nashville and honky-tonk traditions. His phrasing is immaculate, squeezing the last drop of emotion and nuance from each track, while Jackson's arrangements are right on the money with some standout harmonies. The other major factor which sets Walker apart is the fact that he has been in a wheelchair since birth, having been born with Muscular Dystrophy. But this is no sob story - Bradley Walker is the real deal. www.bradleywalker.com  Joe Breen