Arizona's Instant Hobo is in the saddle and riding a beauty with 'Honey The Horse'. The second offering from the alt-country trio takes a traditional style then smothers it with helpings of borrowed inspiration from various others. Herein lies the heart of stripped-back hard rock with the treble turned all the way to country while spinning tales of a humorous nature.

The adventure kicks off with the rollicking 'Rock Island Rocket' which hammers down the dusty track with frantic purpose, where sweetened guitar licks are cruising freely on the back of a whirlwind of energised drumming. From the off, open sound and almost fluid nature of the compositions might allow the listener to sit back and enjoy the ride; but it is not long before you realise this is no straightforward journey.

No, instead this record shoots off all over the place and is teeming with various influences to inform a variation of sounds that all sit perfectly together supplemented by the clever lyrics. The bluesy 'Some Lies Are Worth Living' and the charming 'Strange Old Man' go to great lengths to cement a notable Hobo sound, but the changes in style develop in a subtle nature before you realise you've just heard the rockabilly of 'Bare Light Bulb' or the heavy funk vibe of 'Marshall Pass', notable for its delicate chord work but fierce riffs. Then appear the haunting strings of 'Witch O'er The Water', a brilliantly crafted, and unexpected, folk song that wouldn't sound out of place in a Steeleye Span set.

Yet, as with every other experiment, it sits comfortably within the record. One of the particular highlights is 'Staying Town', a relentless train ride, which while following a formula of sorts breaks into a wonderfully melodic pop chorus. Donned with as much absurd character as the horse in Ed Dorn's epic poem, Gunslinger, Honey takes on a life of its own, epitomised in the narrative of the title track: "Honey the Horse trotted in one day/What's going on with this family/I think they must all be insane."

According to front-man/horse John Feula, there may be "no room for pie", but there is certainly room for Instant Hobo's home brew of quirky Americana.

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