Ledfoot - Plain Simple Honesty (2025) Hi-Res

Looking for some plain, simple honesty? This latest record from Norway-based singer-songwriter will certainly tick the right boxes. It is a collection for our times, capturing musical vignettes on complex subjects, without shrinking away from any of the real issues.

The artist Ledfoot is Tim Scott McConnell, an American singer-songwriter who moved to Norway thirty years ago. Famously, Bruce Springsteen recorded one of his songs, ‘High Hopes’, in 1996 as a B-side to a single, then used it as the title track of his 2014 album. Ledfoot has been described as gothic blues and has been likened to Nick Cave, although with his treacly, almost gruff vocals, he borders more on Tom Waits than Cave. He growls his way through ten cuts for this latest outing, his exceptional twelve-string guitar playing augmented by his baritone guitar, bass, percussion and banjo.

The striking black and white cover art has the watchful eyes of the singer staring you down, searching inside your soul for that plain, simple honesty. With the title written in red against the cover photograph, Ledfoot’s guitar-worn fingers spread wide, it is visually stunning. The opener ‘All You Ever Had’ starts with the line “Before your eyes you see a loser / My soul is broke as broke can be / I’m a man without a future / With a past that’s haunting me”. It sets the tone for the whole array. Ledfoot’s writing is on point, and although remote from his homeland, he has not lost touch with what is happening.

The title track is almost jaunty compared to the world portrayed in the opener. Ledfoot asks us to look for a better way and asks, “Let’s talk about trust, kindness and empathy / It isn’t enough to promise me everything / I need plain, simple honesty”. Your mind wanders back to the famous courtroom scene from the 1992 film “A Few Good Men” and the Jack Nicholson line, “You can’t handle the truth”. Is simple honesty something the authorities think we can’t take, or are there things that would blow apart our simple minds? The crying guitar wails in the background, and we know that the call is likely to go unheeded by those in power.

‘Crystal River’ takes things down a notch with a beautiful guitar introduction. The imagery is all there, as the river holds a special place in the singer’s mind, just as time and space do for many people. It could almost be a Chris Rea or Mark Knopfler composition regarding their beloved River Tyne. The guitar work, as it is throughout the whole record, is incomparable.

The single ‘Hard Times’ with exceptional slide guitar making the twelve-string almost sing is a standout. Ledfoot sings “Tell me why, do the rich keep getting richer / I’ve tried but things aren’t getting any better” It’s a brooding tune with a desperate plea for all.

The final song is a heartfelt story, ‘The Ways of Men’. It tells the tale of a meeting between two people at a bus stop, where they end up discussing the state of the world. This results in a deep conversation, and the man opens up about having cancer. It is a hopeless situation, and they end up sharing drinks. There is little or no hope here, and it resonates in these current and difficult times. Ledfoot consistently calls for us to learn from the past, which we often fail to do. To look for compassion and give people some dignity. It’s the Plain Simple Truth.