The 15 original songs are a canny mixture of tradition and thrilling sonic experimentation ... By the end, Dowd is broadcasting from the edge of sanity. He's part preacher, part psychopath, reduced to mocking even his hallucinatory visions. 'Welcome, Jesus, to my dismal swamp,' he croaks. 'Did you hope for something a little better?'

If you like songs about murder, blood-stained walls, drinking whiskey, paranoia, 'robot girlfriends' and the wages of sin, then Wrong Side Of Memphis is the album for you. Four stars (essential).