If the name Joshua James seems familiar to you, beware - there are two such singer-songwriters around at the moment. Hardly unusual when you consider the size of the United States, but here we have the plaintive laid-back (comparably) version of James, the Nebraska idealist with more than just one great song under his hat.

Steadily crafting rich smokey sour-mash soaked songs that hint at Springsteen, Young and Lanegan for the best part of just 5 years, you'd be forgiven for assuming the man has been around for longer, say the days when labels like Elektra and Reprise carried dozens of singers, musicians and songwriters like this fella. His first album, 'The Sun Is Always Brighter', finally appeared in 2008 and dealt with heartbreaks, war, drugs and faith, earning him a #1 slot on iTunes' Folk Chart and plaudits from critics and blogs. This phenomenon of being championed continued with the rockier second-album, 'Build Me This', which featured his rousing gospel-roots hit 'Coal War' - head to his website to download it for gratis.

Armed with a reputation for touching nerves and inspiring emotions, Joshua James looks set to unveil his third album, a set he has been working on with esteemed troubadour Richard Swift. For lovers of heartfelt lyricism, this is surely a match made in, well, Lincoln USA. To this end, James will be touring the UK in the autumn with some of the new songs at his side, starting with Stockton-on-Tees on 18th October and continuing on to Glasgow, Edinburgh, Manchester and several more until winding up at London's Borderline on 6th November. Thus, you have three weeks' worth of gigs to choose from, with many costing under £10 - even London is only £8, a bargain.