But by God it sounds good. Kicking off with a smokers cough and edgy drumming, the song sounds nastier than a Memphis night on bad bootleg. Then again, should I be surprised that the Charlottesville singer has that darkness inside him? He is Kelly Joe Phelps's protégé after all.

Fans of Curreri's more usual softer style should not be too worried though. Despite the promise of something completely different in the opening track, much of The Velvet Rut builds on that for which he has a deserved reputation: accomplished musicianship (he plays all the instruments and supplies all vocals); and songwriting that pushes Americana well beyond the reach of the many bland singer-songwriters flooding the UK at the moment.

Of the Phelps' influenced tracks Loretta stands out thanks to Curreri's vocal, delivered with the yearning of a lusty teenager unable to get his hands on the goods.

Teenage hormones and bluesy guitars may be on The Velvet Rut, they are not what make it worth listening to. What makes the album worth buying is the songwriting. Curreri's lyrics are feats of imagination in a music sector drowned out by the sound of insipid love songs delivered with all the originality of a Simon Cowell act.

Where else but on a Curreri album could you veer from a wonderful story of an angel climbing from a bath and causing a natural disaster as their wing hits the window (The Ugly Angel) through Patti Smith being told to "kiss my ass and die/If you can't make beautiful make nice" in a song about faith and friendship (Keep Your Master's Voice In Your Mouth) to a lazy dream-stealer (Fat Killer At Dawn)?

Curreri produced The Velvet Rut, and has given it an experimental, layered feel. This works best on The Wasp. Sounding like it was recorded in the bathroom, its off beat clapping percussion would not be out of place in a Devendra Banhart set. Why I Turned My Light Off and Freestylin' Crost The Pond bring the album to a more conventional, intimate end, which highlights my only criticism of the album.

I wanted more dirty Delta and less reflective, late night bar. The lack of it left me wondering whether the sheer shock of sparking up on such a sharply contrasting note had shocked Curreri as much as it will his fans.

Still, as criticisms go, it is a minor one, and Curreri remains one of the most innovative interesting and under-appreciated songwriters working today.

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Mercury Prize 2009 nominees