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"Who the hell is Tommy Hale?" i hear you cry, and a year ago I would have asked the same question. Tommy Hale is hardly a big name in his own USA and virtually unheard of in the UK outside the small Americana circuit. At the end of the century Hale toured europe with his band Swank Deluxe, recorded and album titled An Acceptable Level of Decadance and then disappered from the performance end of things for a quieter life. He took to the studio to produce singles and albums for various bands and when he came to produce this, his debut album applied all of the tricks and techniques he had developed and applied them to this body of work.

I first saw Tommy Hale play in the UK as a result of knowing some of the players in his pick-up band, that is the band that back him in this country, The Snakes. The shows were fantastic, he has the animation and humour required of a first class front man, as well as the ability to write some memorable songs. Live is one thing, do the songs work as straight forward recordings, Far From Grace proves that they do.

In his own words, Far From Grace is a collection of songs about people having trouble finding their way through life, and the first flawed character is on the opening number, a man and his love for a women, caused by the pressure of those around him. Told Me To, musically sounds like a gentle Rolling Stones number, a similarity that runs through the album, not obvious enough to hint at plagarism, but certainly a tip of the hat to his influences. A jaunty number with a country guitar sound and an infectious beat and immediate sing along chorus. Where Were You Yesterday is another immediate song, more rock based with a slowed down rockabily beat and a rich and full guitar sound. Jointly penned with Jack Ingram whom Tommy had produced in the studio, this toe tapping number must be the highlight of the album.

The upbeat feel continues on Things Are Going My Way. A Bluesy country guitar lick wanders around in this loose and laid back number, horns empasize the choruses and the lyrics have a very tongue-in-cheek quality, that same humour that he uses to good affect on stage is ever present on the album.

Uncle Jim changes the style somewhat. "Every body has an Uncle Jim" says Hale, hes that embarising member of the family that turns up now and again drunk or stoned and reeks havok within the familys order. A slow and dark ponder through Hales past, he recalls his youthful experiences with his families dark sheep. The slow brooding

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