Sinbad Ranch is the second album from Stephen Lomas, following the success of his earlier release, Mermaids. This time the folksy funk of his signature “folk+plus” style embraces the edge & drive of rock, the spirit of country & even picks up a touch of jazz along the way. Strong lyrical content is a standard of Lomas’s work & this album refines the theme. He rarely admits to writing love songs but the subject is apparent throughout Sinbad Ranch. The break-heart country strains of Picture in my Pocket & Radio conjure up visions of dim bar-rooms & desert back roads while the haunting affirmation of Blacktop will remind you of the guitar work of Martin Simpson, one of Lomas’s major influences. Romance is even hinted in Mambo - perhaps the first song ever inspired by a pair of board-shorts! Here a strange saga unfolds within the rhythmic funk of some David Lindley-like slide work. In their diverse ways these songs all speak of the human spirit - foundering or fulfilled, realised or repentant. The musical identity that delivers these images was no accident. Lomas says “I usally play alone, just me, a guitar & maybe a harmonica. Recording gave me the opportunity to pretend I had a band.” A very cohesive sound was achieved by selecting some very capable musicians. On keyboards is Tim Horrigan who co-produced Stephen’s first album Mermaids. John “Groover” McDuffie from the Rita Coolidge Band adds some vital guitar & pedal steel. Holding it all together on bass & drums is Steve Goodie of Punch Sound Studios. Steve Goodie also co-produced Sinbad Ranch. This became a true act of faith, hope & e-mails as on completion of the initial tracks, Stephen Lomas moved back to Australia & Steve Goodie relocated his studio from Santa Monica to Nashville.