The roots music of the week reviewed by JOE BREEN...

Harry Manx

Bread and Buddha

Dog My Cat Records ***

Being a sucker for decent puns I lift my hat to Mr Manx for his title, and having listened to his rich layered mix of blues and Indian music, I find myself similarly taken by the description of him in his biography as “Mysticssippi”. Harry Manx was (yes, you guessed) born in the Isle of Man and was then raised in Canada before moving to live in Europe, Brazil, Japan and India.

It was in India that Rajasthani Indian musician Vishwa Mohan Bhatt (who won a Grammy with Ry Cooder for A Meeting by the River) taught him to play his self-designed Mohan veena, a 20-stringed sitar/guitar that Manx uses to colour his measured bluesy music with exotic sounds. Essentially a strong blues player with a slow and intense vocal style, Manx wrote about half the 10 tracks, including the powerful opener Nine Summers Lost. There are plenty of allusions to Indian philosophy, but the music is rich and evocative (if a little safe). www.harrymanx.com

Download tracks: Nine Summers Lost, Long Black Veil, Dew on Roses

Clarence Bucaro

New Orleans

Hyena Records ****

The 1970s weren't so bad after all. Certainly, Clarence Bucaro, a native of Cleveland, Ohio, who moved to Louisiana's great city, would seem to think so to judge by his fourth album. Sung in a lugubrious voice with a falsetto flourish, the 10 songs on New Orleanschronicle a love affair – hardly the most novel theme. But Bucaro imbues the project with real heart, and the melodic strength of the songs and the warmth of the top-notch playing sets this album apart. The opening track, Light in Your Eyes, sets the standard with looping fat bass, crisp drums, moody B3 and harmonica. It creates a kind of irresistible chunky blue-eyed soulful mix. The gospel- flavoured Matters of the Heartand The Other Endcontrast with ballads such as Unfulfilled Loveand It's Only You Tonight. Think of a less demanding Ryan Adams and you won't go far wrong. www.clarencebucaro.com JOE BREEN

Download tracks: Light In Your Eyes, Matters of the Heart, It's Only You Tonight