England Keep My Bones

Anyone who plugged into last year's Rock & Roll EP or the advance singles "Peggy Sang the Blues" and "I Am Disappeared" will understand that Frank Turner has become a songwriter of uncommon depth and variety. England Keep My Bones is a quintessentially British album, its title taken from Shakespeare's The Life and Death of King John, but that shouldn't put Americanskis off. Turner's record is a giant step from Poetry of the Deed; it contains far better production, expert sequencing and balance, and the best batch of songs he's written to date. "Peggy Sang the Blues" (dedicated to the memory of his grandmother) begins with an acoustic guitar but admits the band before the first verse starts. Its infectious, nearly funky bassline stands out against the ringing electric guitar chords. Keyboards grace the background, as does a layered vocal chorus. Turner half sings and half shouts his poignant tome in his best "raise your beer style," he sounds like a dead cross between Billy Bragg an