Hank The Businessman

Hank The Businessman, aka singer-songwriter Joseph Leytrick, has released here an EP which is as immaculately produced as it is impressive.

Like R.E.M. or XTC, Leytrick possesses the ability to shift direction on a knife-edge, keeping you on your toes and capturing your interest. Opener ‛Heaven Speaks Well’ sways unpredictably between sweet folk-pop to ghostly drum ‛n bass and 80s-tinged up-tempo rock. That it all fits together effectively is a wonder..

Similarly, ‛Too Far’ strides out like a sparkling 70s country-esque hit before morphing into something quite different – a multi-vocal grungy 90s classic which in turn gives way to quirky art-pop. Title-track ‛Mountain’ is an addictive acoustic-guitar driven piece. Minimal percussion and some beautiful vocals are all that’s needed. This could have been a hit in any era from the 60s to tomorrow. Appropriately titled closer ‛Music’ is a joy, a wonderful tempo-shifting semi-auto-biographical song that shimmers with class.

Lyrically mature and musically inventive, ‛Mountain’ has that certain something which sets it apart from the crowd.