Cave’s in Southern preacher mode and he’s never looked better. Even the cover art echoes the theme, with a Devilish Nick staring down from a billboard. This is perhaps his most solid and consistent album to date which has, within its darkness and mystery, one of Cave’s most beautiful love songs, Straight To You. Hardly a backing band, the Bad Seeds bring their wild and wicked talents to this disc – and it’s their chemistry that gives the release its edge. Other notable moments are the incendiary opening track Papa Won’t Leave You Henry and themelodramatic Christina The Astonishing.Warning: This recording contains explicit language.