An impressive collection of live songs, Solo shows Martin Sexton as a confident and accomplished singer/songwriter, also revealing a man hitting his stride as performer. Sexton jumps right in with the rootsy "How Far I've Come," inflecting with an endearing, nasal honk that is at times reminiscent of the late Bob Hite from Canned Heat. His breezy vocals on the sunny acoustic funk of "Happy" could convince any Jack Johnson fan that this is the where Johnson’s sound originated. The playful "Diner" finds him channeling a young Van Morrison's vocal phrasing, and "So Long Suzanna" downshifts to a beautifully bittersweet love song that is 100 percent Martin Sexton, right down to the sporadic whistling. He even throws in some unexpected cover songs, making sure that his take on The Beatles' "With A Little Help from My Friends" can't be compared to Joe Cocker's gritty version by singing in a higher register with a smoother, seamless cadence. But the real crowd pleaser here is an unexpected and stripped down rendition of Prince's "Purple Rain" that Sexton folks up by employing a soul-steeped, Steve Winwood-inspired vocal timbre.