Dean Owens

★★★★ Sinner’s Shrine EEL PIE. CD/DL/LP

Long-delayed collaboration with Calexico finally sees daylight.

Leith native Dean Owens has long been in love with the American South-west, so much so that after honeymooning in Death Valley he and his wife parked up their Airstream on the edge of Joshua Tree National Park, so they have a semipermanent base whenever they return. Song-title clues such as Arizona and New Mexico notwithstanding, Owens’ love of giant blue skies and dusty landscapes is evident throughout his seventh album, given genuine Tex-Mex hues thanks to Calexico acting as his main backing band. Alongside contributions from GrantLee Phillips and Guatemalan singer Gaby Morena, Owens sings with a dark majesty that matches the gigantic emotional pull of his songs, finding the beauty at the heart of tragic events and mundane places. A deeply thoughtful and moving album of dirt-caked desert noir. Andy Fyfe