iSound

Alex Lowe has gone back to his roots. On his third solo album, "Step Forward All False Prophets", the former Hurricane 1 frontman, who is from Scotland, has returned to the country rock sound that he grew up with.

Written in five days, "Step Forward All False Prophets" is the work of a man who has rediscovered the power of classic songwriting. Gone is the indie-rock sound of Alex's previous recordings, replaced by down and dirty, whiskey-soaked tales about preachers, angels, whores and devils.

The ghost of Johnny Cash looms large over these acoustic recordings, coupled with the storytelling tradition of Bob Dylan and the tear in yer beer melancholy of Gram Parsons, Jayhawks and early Wilco.

"I have always been into that country style," says Lowe. "I like Dylan, Tom Petty, Uncle Tupelo and Son Volt. Johnny Cash was a total rock 'n' roll icon, a dirty angel. I always wanted to make an acoustic album and I am glad I have ...