ENGLISH folk guitarist Martin Simpson excels in making the difficult look easy, whether playing an intricate tune or singing a big ballad charged with emotion.

He began his concert in the most beautiful and tender way by playing two intimate tunes: She Slips Away, which was his response to sitting with his mother the afternoon before she died, and Mother Love, inspired by his wife and daughter.

To change the mood, he launched into Little Musgrave, a full-blooded murder ballad from County Durham. He followed this up with Sammy's Bar, Cyril Tawney's exquisite song set in Malta that explores the relationship between Europe and the US.

Crossing "the Pond" on his musical journey, Simpson sang Duncan & Brady, an American ballad recorded by Leadbelly that portrays callous violence, brutality and indifference with astonishing economy.

Staying with Uncle Sam, he sang The Devil's Partiality, which is a powerful examination of the Deep South.

The eloquence of Simpson's lyrical singing and finger-style guitar technique enables him to tap into the essence of each piece he plays.

He wrote Never Any Good as a deeply-felt tribute to his father, while Bareback To Bullhassocks is a bouncy guitar tune full of humour.

Simpson threw in a couple of covers by Bob Dylan (Buckets Of Rain and Boots Of Spanish Leather) and Richard Thompson (Down Where The Drunkards Roll) to complete a superb concert. Two hours of quality acoustic music by a master of his craft.