HINSON’S CV has all the elements of drama that inform his eclectic, fascinating music. Having been raised in the fundamentalist south, a early encounter with an older widow threw him into a tailspin of drugs and prison.

Now back on track, he has been able to channel these dark times into his music. Possessed of an other-worldly baritone voice, he moves from the simple paean Take Off That Dress For Me to the spaghetti-western 2s And 3s. The influence of ‘the man in black’ and Lambchop are clear, and Hinson makes a convincing case here to be Cash’s heir apparent. Conceived almost as a requiem for modern America, the lyrics are striking and graphic in places. The dark atmosphere isn’t overplayed, and unusually, it gets better as it progresses.

This hugely ambitious and challenging record reaches a peaceful resolution, with a lovely stringed finale to leave the listener in his thrall, and ready to dive back in.

* Micah P Hinson plays at the Brudenell Social Club, Leeds on Monday, November 1