Take pieces of Jeff Tweedy, Ron Sexsmith and Jackson Browne, melt them down in a beautiful crucible of music and you end up with Jordie Lane: a truly diverse folk musician…

The Melbourne-born, LA-based troubadour possesses a sound drawing from all these different influences that somehow results in something completely individual. Oh, and did I mention that the resulting sound is excellent?

It’s bloody excellent.

Lane’s most recent release, the five-track EP Not Built To Last, is a beautiful collection of songs possessing a somewhat unique, if occasionally bleak outlook on love, that all the while highlights his diversity.

Opening track ‘Here She Comes‘ is upbeat and uplifting. From the bellowing piano to the jangling electric guitar, typical of that big country sound, it is the perfect way to open a record. Lane’s voice is smooth and sincere, as he waxes lyrical about the pleasures, pains and complexities of love, singing out: “That knife called love, has just found its mark.”

Track two, ‘Dead of Light’ is a darker, more melancholy song, featuring beautiful harmonies and ominous cymbal crashes. It highlights Lane’s fearless approach in the construction this EP, with starkly different emotions creating a sudden, but somehow harmonious contrast.

‘Maybe Someday’ and ‘I Think I Always Thought’ scream with that beautiful traditional country/folk sound. Here, Lane’s American influence shine through clear as day.

The standout track of the EP is ‘Lost in You’. With just Lane and his guitar, this song is perfection. The phrasing of the vocals combined with simple finger-picking on the acoustic guitar harks back to the sort of music that we rarely hear produced in the modern folk scene today. The track stands alone as a serious example of quality songwriting, showing that Lane can match it with some of the greats.

This doesn’t however place Lane as a musician born out of time. He can play both roles: the poetic solo songwriter of the 70’s playing unplugged in the corner of a dimly lit bar, and the modern folk musician backed by a full band in front of a few hundred fans stamping their feet.

Just one request next time Jordie if that’s okay – more songs, please!

Not Built To Last is out now.

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WHO :: Jordie Lane (with full band) + Old Man Luedecke (CAN) + All Our Exes Live In Texas

WHEN :: Saturday 16th November

WHERE :: The Basement, Circular Quay

HOW MUCH ::  from $20 – Moshtix

Plus more dates around NSW and Australia here.