With a voice where many packs of cigarettes have passed, and with legendary producer T Bone Burnett at the controls, singer / songwriter Ryan Bingham has already made his third album for the authoritative roots label Lost Highway. Never before has the man from Texas been so eagerly awaited as now, more than six months after Bingham received an Oscar for his contribution to the soundtrack of Crazy
… Heart, a film in which he also had a small role. That song (The Weary Kind) was added to this album as a bonus track. Although Bingham is a newcomer to the general public, he sounds like a veteran on the solid Junky Star. At 29, Ryan is a typical example of an old soul in a young body. The fraying of his voice makes songs about depression and general malaise sound very credible. (MS)more
