"Cowboys we are, cowboys we will always be," sang the man with the Red Hawk feather in his cowboy hat.
Tom Russell has sat round a campfire with the best of them, including Johnny Cash. He said he prefers his audience standing, but this mainly 60 plus audience enjoyed the ride seated.
The first half featured songs from The Rose Of Roscrae, a cowboy folk opera, and Russell did a fine job in whetting the appetite for his new release with some tasty nuggets including the wonderful He Wasn't A Bad Kid, When He Was Sober.
His fine vocal hit the spot whatever the style – gospel, Tex-Mex, folk – and Russell dropped spoken sequences into songs, such as Hair Trigger Heart, to explain the inspiration behind a line or to simply comment on what was happening in the room.
He is an Americana Wikipedia with plenty to impart, which he did with good humour.
Stood beside him was Max De Bernardi, an exceptional guitarist, who sprinkled the songs with gold dust.
De Bernardi's wife, Veronica Sbergia, duetted with Russell on Blue Wing in the second half, when the audience requested oldies such as California Snow and Stealing Electricity.
Perhaps Russell might have continued on his journey through the new material, the second half not quite having the same magic as the first.
Four stars
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