Louis De Bernières

★★★ Despatches KHAKI ANGEL. CD/DL

Famed author he may be, but music – folk songwriters in particular, apparently – has always been at his core and this is a double album made with relish and passion. Bernières’ jagged voice cuts through darkly arresting vignettes full of evocative lyrics, assisted by telling contributions from Beth Porter, Selina Hawker and David Booth. Powerful stuff, though Leonard Cohen especially seems to have been such an overwhelming influence it often sounds like an adoring homage.