
Cal Williams Jr. has the distinction of being a three-time winner of the South Australian Songwriter of the Year award and his touring experience includes support slots with both Bert Jansch and KT Tunstall. So it's somewhat surprising that 'Driving As A Form Of Prayer' turns out to be his first album. Any fears should be allayed, though, by a record which may begin tentatively but soon shows the reasons why he is so highly regarded. 'Ocean Springs' boasts the kind of rich string arrangements which will lead to comparisons with the early work of Nick Drake and 'Lovesongs From The Midnight Sea' offers a charming flute melody. Yet it has to be said that Williams excels when the mood is at its most elegiac; to this end, 'For The Summer' and 'Bird' are excellent examples of teary-eyed tunefulness. So Williams Jr. is another one of those artists, where the sadder he sounds, the more satisfied the listener becomes.