With his faithful acoustic guitar hoist across his chest or a piano at his fingertips, Rob Batley gilds his every song with the unmistakable stamp of hard-earned authenticity - confessional in style, his vivid lyrics full of recognizable characters and familiarsituations. Car crash girls and wide eyed boys, lives andloves, hopes and dreams: he sketches a romantic vision ofthe world and puts you right there inside it, shoulder toshoulder with his street-smart heroes and back-seat villains… Rooted in the age-old traditions of folk storytelling, this young manssongs are tales seducing us to be heard. You mightnotice the beautiful playing first, or the soaring melodies,but, inexorably, potent narratives unravel and begin to holdyou in their sway.It’s like cinema distilled into song, with themes at onceimmediate and timeless. Listen close enough, it seems, andyou might just hear the ghostly whisper of a John Ford ora Scorsese. And yet, throughout, make no mistake, Rob takescommand of these songs, branding themwith the force of rare authority, his distinctive vocal rangeby turns conversational and lofty like the arching sky. Nowonder this special talent is so satisfying.“blinding backstreet balladeer bleeds earnest observations about love and life. Mini-cinema for the honest romantic and hopeless dreamer in all of us…”