YouTube video by Monkey Basket Films

15 track album

The closing track from the forthcoming ‘Songs for the Swung’ Kenton Hall: Guitars, Vocals, Percussion Salpier: Piano Fermin Suarez: Double Bass Paul Swannell: Hammond Organ and String Arrangement Ma

Coming soon - the new album - Songs for the Swing! https://kentonhallthenecessarymeasures.bandcamp.com/album/songs-for-the-swung

It's Tom Waits' turn at bat in the next installment of Songwriter Top Tens.

We're going home to Canada, in the company of Gord Downie and, of course, The Tragically Hip.

Kenton cheats. Offering up 20 Difford and/or Tilbrook songs he loves. Plus, a bonus track he may have had a filthy Canadian hand in.

This is the second of my daily Songwriter Top Tens, in which I point you in the direction of songwriters who have inspired me, via my favourite songs in their catalogues. Today, it's the turn of Aimee Mann, who I discovered, appropriately, thanks to my love for yesterday's artist, Elvis Costello.

As I fumble away trying to finish the album, I've been turning back to some of my favourite songwriters and songs for inspiration. This always results in a mental game of table tennis between 'My lack of God, how can I compete with that?' and 'Hold my beer!' The competing poles of self-loathing and ego that, I'm convinced, drive every artist. Anyway, then I got to thinking about memorialising some of the songs and songwriters that have meant the most to me, by offering my personal Top Ten from each artist. Some songs you'll know, some you won't. Some artists you'll recognise immediately, others will produce either a blank look, or the furrowed brow of distant memory. I'll start, of course, with the Beloved Entertainer, Elvis Costello.

Follow the making of and support the new album from 'Kenton Hall & The Necessary Measures

Follow the making of and support the new album from 'Kenton Hall & The Necessary Measures