It’s difficult to see where this one could go wrong really; three internationally renowned writers and performers combining to make music for no other reasons than that they want to, and they can. There’s a slim chance that you haven’t heard of these three people (if you regularly check out this site, there’s no excuse), so here’s a quick triple cv. Martin Harley writes songs, has a rough-hewn voice that works perfectly with his material and plays a variety of instruments, usually with six strings, including the Weissenborn, which is a bit of a speciality (classic bit of understatement there). Sam Lewis is a singer-songwriter with a fabulous soulful voice and an ability to create songs from harrowing personal experiences as well as much lighter raw material. Which brings us to Daniel Kimbro playing a wide range of stringed instruments of widely-varying sizes and number of strings (plus synthesiser and mbira); he also has a great voice and a nice line in slightly left-field songs. If you like a bit of trivia, all three have recorded live albums at Southern Ground Studios, Sam solo and Daniel and Martin together.

The idea behind “Harley Kimbro Lewis” is pretty simple. Martin, Daniel and Sam decided to combine their many and varied talents with no plan other than to create an album that they all liked; no rules except mutual respect in the creation of twelve songs (actually, eleven, because Sam’s song “Neighbors” has already had a commercial release). And it worked like a dream; the songwriting is a combination of solo efforts, duo writes and the three-way collaborations of the love song “Tokyo” and the humorous “Good Guy”, which tells the story of the dodgy character that we all know (don’t we?) who can supply anything we need. It perfectly demonstrates Daniel Kimbro’s talent for delivering the slightly offbeat stories with panache.

The songwriting collaborations bring out some surprising results but, if you’ve heard the previous work of any of these guys, you’ll be able to pick out their solo songs; “Whiskey Decisions” is a classic wistful, triple-time Martin Harley song looking back at past mistakes without too much regret; Sam Lewis’s “Who’s Hungry” contrasts a sinister, unexplained nocturnal event with the mundane daytime routine, with a musical hint of “Ode to Billie Joe”, while Daniel Kimbro’s “Man Get Ahold of Yourself” is quirky and funny and a nod in the direction of the traditional song “Skip to my Lou”. The song’s about the things you really shouldn’t do and probably have at some time. It might even be slightly biographical; it’s certainly a fun way to close the album.

“Harley Kimbro Lewis” is a triumph of songwriting, arranging and playing. It impresses quietly; there’s no need to hit the loud pedal when the songs and performances are as good as these. Any fan of traditional musical skills will love the quality on display here. I can’t recommend this album enough. Buy a physical copy, and buy it from the band’s website; this kind of quality needs to be rewarded.

The album will be released on 22/2/22 on HKL (HKL001).

There’s also a lot of humour, which brings me neatly to something else you need to know. I’ve seen all of these guys live in various configurations; for me, that’s the best way to hear their material. They’re all fabulous live performers  and their gigs fizz with musical wizardry and, of course, humour. Fortunately Martin, Daniel and Sam are about to start a UK tour starting on March 6^th. Full details are again on the website. Finally, here’s a little treat for you. It’s the latest video from the project, “Cowboys in Hawaii”: