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Whilst interviewing Wes for this very edition (seems like a lifetime ago) he mentioned NIC JONES and here, swiftly on the heels of the power-pop leanings of Awake comes this affectionate tribute â?? 'Ghosts, Sex and Murder: they're just like my songs only 400 years older' as he says. JWH's pronounced accent, unconcealed by simple acoustic backing of guitar and accordion, recites tales (some sub-two minute, others over six) that belong to another time, seemingly another place. Sadly, despite the obvious love of his subject, the resultant recording lacks a contemporary edge (Dylan's Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts successfully updated the form) and it stands more as a curiosity and an honourable indulgence than a bonafide John Wesley Harding album.

Matt Dornan
CWAS #4 - Winter 1998/9 - The Lost Issue

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