A case of the reverential methinks as Charlie Betts unleashes his album "A New World" into a marketplace already overflowing with earnest Americana. English he might be but you'd never guess that from the evidence of his songs.
Charlie Betts has mastered the rules of the game and proves that all the way through this album. "A Game of Words" could so easily have been penned by any polished practitioner of the genre from across the water and likewise the title track rolls along with the kind of mellow fruitfulness that best characterises west coast folk rock. The thing of note here is how effectively that shared musical background has been transplanted and cultivated here in the UK.
"A New World" is an album that is easy on the ear and Charlie Betts and his cohorts are more than capable musicians so it is little strain to allow it to draw you along with it as it meanders amiably back out to the ocean.
Available as a free download from Bandcamp.