Born to a German blues-musician father and Irish mother, 30-something Torsten Goods is still restlessly seeking out new directions for his feelgood, jazzpop muse. The groovy Düsseldorfborn guitarist and singer (his vocal style has something of a swinging Sinatra about it, his guitar work bears the imprint of George Benson) turns to the world of blues, spirituals and roots music on his new album. The traditional tune ‘Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen’ rubs shoulders with Nat Adderley and Oscar Brown Jr's ‘Work Song’ and Ray Charles' ‘Hallelujah, I Love Her So’. Goods and his collaborators have a light touch: the shadows cast by the likes of Leadbelly's ‘Where Did You Sleep Last Night?’ aren't allowed to darken the mood unduly, although they're not taken lightly either – a nice balancing act. The disc ends in soulfully contemplative mode with a cover of Benard Ighner's ‘Everything Must Change’, although Goods's smooth, warm picking is a natural balm to the blues.