Tony James Shevlin

Ten songs from his back catalogue re-recorded in Nashville, Songs From the Last Chance Saloon demonstrates some serious talent from a man who, despite some career highlights that include writing a song for R.E.M. and having another selected as Amnesty International as their International Anthem of Peace, is not particularly well known.
Opener Faith in Myself has distinct Floydian touches on the vocals and guitar work, as well as some Great Gig in the Sky- style wailing. But from then on, despite the songs having been written over an extended period, it’s very much a man of certain age looking back – sometimes with regret, sometimes not – over the arc of his life; an arc with which many will identify.
Paradise South Ealing is wonderfully evocative and the self-explanatory Champagne Taste on a Lemonade Pay is a rueful rollicker that will surely strike a chord with many. On the more serious side, the likes of Crying for 15 Years and Heart and the High Moral Ground are deep and insightful, while Shevlin’s acoustic-cum-country-blues stripped back-style suits his material perfectly.
Jeremy Searle - Hand to Mouth