The gospel choirs are gone, the instrumental layers have been stripped away. For his latest EP ‘Tell Yourself It’s Only The Weather‘, Michael Apinyakul (Shoeshine Blue) is virtually left on his own to seduce the listener with his fast fingers, six strings and smooth shivering voice. If the songwriter still surrounds himself with some of his regular Shoeshine Blue acolytes on the bass, violin or banjo, it is only to add a touch of flavour to the raw, fragile texture of these five folk/blues guitar tracks over which he lays his lyrics. Halfway between the arts of music and spoken word, in a style popularised by Leonard Cohen, this record is an intimate and deliciously mundane little treat for the ears. To any amateurs, its CD release will be accompanied by a show at The Secret Society on July 20th.- Tracy Mamoun