The son of bluegrass producer and songwriter Bob, Austin Lucas started out kicking over the traces as a punk rocker but has subsequently returned to a sound his Dad would recognize albeit with a slightly rockier aspect.
This troubadour from Indiana has emerged from deep anxiety and depression to make an album that acknowledges feelings of darkness and pain without wallowing in self pity.
And, after all, where would country music be without the lonesome blues? Guest spots from John Moreland, Lydia Loveless and Cory Branan prove that Lucas is far from being entirely isolated.
His press agents get carried away by making the ludicrous claim that this album is "unlike anything ever done in the realm of country music and Americana".
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In fairness, Lucas is not guilty of such hyperbole. On Next To You he sings "So here it is then, the same old tune you've heard it sung before, by many men in different keys".
Broken hearts and dashed hopes go with the territory and, while treading familiar ground, there are plenty of good tunes here to prove that, even when you happen to find yourself on the Wrong Side Of A Dream, the show must go on.
Austin Lucas' website
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