Michael Weston King

A New Kind Of Loneliness

Floating World

This is the first new collection of original songs from Michael Weston King since 2003’s A Decent Man; the only cover being of Gilbert O’Sullivan’s ‘Alone Again Naturally’, a song that he’s plainly very fond of. He continues his movement away from the alt.country stylings of his Good Sons’ days with these well-made, literate and intelligent songs. They’re all infused with that melancholy that’ s been long familiar to him but has now been exacerbated by a series of unavoidable life-changing events.

Loss, death, divorce, and breakdown are all here, but if that sounds too heavy and introspective be aware that its sound leavens its content. This is an ensemble album featuring a collection of fine musicians, notably the excellent Manchester-based pedal steel, dobro, and mandolin player Alan Cook. There are also guest appearances from Chris Hillman and Herb Pedersen (‘My Heart Stopped Today’), Ron Sexsmith and Don Kerr (‘From Out Of The Blue’), and Jackie Leven.

It, of course, stands as a serious record. Weston King is always going to be that sort of songwriter and his voice doesn’t naturally lend itself to frivolity. He aspires to a confraternity with Cave, Costello and Van Zandt, and while that’s a big ask, from this it seems neither unworthy nor unattainable.