There is something wonderfully untamed about singer-songwriter Malcolm Holcombe. Though the North Carolinian has been around a long time, his songs still carry a rough-hewn sheen that matches the grizzled elegance of his sandpaper voice and fierce finger-picking guitar. Told with gifted storyteller relish, these are small-town tales steeped in a hard world, but Holcombe's unbridled energy and righteous belief allows him take the fight to his fate. His music lives on the border between folk, blues and country – lyrically and musically he is a more animated relative of Texan tunesmith Guy Clark. Producer (and dobro player) Jared Tyler helps capture Holcombe's essence by keeping the production distinctly low-fi, allowing fragments of life and learning such as For the Love of a Child and Savannah Blues to flourish. See him perform the riveting title track at balconytv.com/dublin. Download: For the Love of a Child, Pitiful Blues