Tom Russell @ Cabaret Voltaire

It's particularly apt that Tom Russell should begin this concert with a verse from Leonard Cohen's Tower of Song that eulogises the influence of Hank Williams. Russell has broken through the bonds of folk and Americana to emerge as one of our great songwriters: part troubadour, part historian and with just a dash of resolutely apolitical protest singer. With only his guitar, his gravelly baritone and his dextrous new partner Michael Martin on guitar and mandolin, he enraptures the audience with a gig that showcases his most recent (and possibly best) album, 'Love and Fear' early on, before moving on to some old favourites sure to please those who only came for the one about the cockfight, all the while combining the skills of a storyteller with an insight into the darkest workings of the human soul. In the tower of song, Tom Russell clearly occupies the top floor. [Paul Greenwood]