Aaron Burton is yet another of those Texan pickers who seems to creep in under the radar lodging himself in the mind and memory. With around half a dozen albums already to his credit, with Southern Swagger he brings more than a touch of Down South, low-down and dirty acoustic blues to this new mix. All ten tracks are self-written and feature his laid-back, sensitive acoustic picking with its shades of past-masters and rolling rhythmic licks. Obviously touched by Texan influences including Sam Lighnin’ Hopkins, Burton nevertheless manages to slip sideways into the slipstream and stamp his own character on the material and the fine fretwork with evident ease. His droll, drawling vocal delivery matches his picking style perfectly and he always squeezes some unexpected humour into the lyrical mix. Burton is one of those guys who is clearly comfortable with the music and has an excellent grasp of the essentials of good ole traditional southern blues. Southern Swagger is one to savour.

IAIN PATIENCE