Search - Mike Thomas :: Dust on My Shoes

Crossing Henry Lawson with Ewan MacColl

Dave Smith | Canberra | 02/10/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"A couple of years ago an Australian poet decided to update Banjo Paterson's Man From Snowy River but to my mind Mick Thomas has more in common with the lyricisim of Paterson and more particularly, Henry Lawson than the leatherpatch brigade. This is a very good album, more low key and reflective than most of Mick's work with Weddings Parties Anything, but as passionate and heart felt whether it be dealing with small town hostility in The Lonely Goth, reality biting on the tourist road in eastern europe in Hard Currency, the tragedy and glory of Tom Wills (surely there's a film to be made there), the fumblings and misunderstandings of later love in Baked a Cake, and the salute to a teenager from Geelong's muse in Lawrence Durrell. Each song is like a Maxwell or Carver short story or novella. Be sure to get this album and catch Mick when he makes his annual pilgrimage to London. And be sure to check out his cracking new album The Horse's Prayer. pretty damn marvellous!"