Trouble arrives in a crumpled, ill-fitting funeral suit, scuffed up shoes and a hangdog frown. AJ Roach takes the stage looking like a riverboat gambler or a disgraced Southern preacher. He scrapes his lank, greasy hair out of his eyes, pushes his glasses up his nose and starts punching out chords on his battered acoustic guitar.

A stream of folk-rock invective

I get A LOT of music sent to my inbox. Most of it is destined for the Trash. But sometimes, an artist strikes a chord (no pun intended) and I wonder why more people aren’t blogging about them. A.J. fits that bill.

Both this album [Revelation], and his first album, "Dogwood Winter" are excellent. Highly recommended.

[Roach] steeps his music in rich mountain traditions, and then weaves modern imagery and instrumentation throughout. From spry-sounding suicide ballad “Clinch River Blues” and desperate lament “Streets of Omaha” to the gospel-influenced, anti-war title track, Revelation is an endearing anthology of life stories, colored with hearty, twangy vocals, plenty of strings and that unmistakable bluegrass spontaneity.

Roach's second release is as tuneful as it is dark and a true revelation. Finely etched lyrics and musical adventurism in service of song make "Revelation" the best album I've reviewed this year.

'Revelation' displays a deep reverence for the music of his spiritual ancestors. That being said, the man didn't grow up in a time-capsule, and so just like the aforementioned artists [Will Oldham, Vic Chesnutt and David Eugene Edwards], he brings an indie-rock-informed attitude and sensibility to the music ... Roach knows what he's doing, and he does it remarkably well.

Revelation is a simultaneously grim and lovely album, full of sharp, vivid writing and soulful singing. It’s the southern gothic gospel of the halfway house and the homeless shelter, and it’s one of the best albums of the year.

Singer-songwriters wear their hearts on their sleeves and AJ is no different, his is music pared down to the essentials, appealing to us because it has direct access to the soul.

The highlight of the set was a song called “Revelation”, the title track from his newest record, for which Nels Andrews added acoustic guitar.

Songs als het bijzonder soulvolle, mede door het orgel van Charlie Rowan gedragen “Freezing Car”, het met Anna Coogan gebrachte titelnummer en de fantastische opener “Clinch River Blues” zullen er wellicht zelfs voor gaan zorgen, dat we deze plaat straks in aanmerking zullen laten komen voor ons eindejaarslijstje.