J.D. 'Cast' King was born in 1926 and 'Saw Mill Man' was his debut album (in 1955 he and his band recorded a few tracks at Memphis' legendary Sun Studio). Brimming with rimy murder ballads and foggy drinking songs, King seems to have been beamed in direct from a different sepia drenched era; with country-music aficionado Matt Downer coaxing the retired songwriter into the studio to record 'Saw Mill Man'. Very much in the tradition of Johnny Cash (an obvious comparison, but bang on the money!), King's songs have glorious titles to match their intoxicating content; with 'Cheap Motel', 'Wino' and 'Numb' sounding just as sunset-dusty as you'd expect. Including a set of sleeve-notes that detail the circumstances in which King was finally committed to record, 'Saw Mill Man' is a caliginous journey through a swampy south that perches on the very cusp of Wal-Mart instigated extinction. Cast King passed away on 14 December 2007

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