TEX, DON & CHARLIE: All is Forgiven (Universal).

WHEN working in tandem, Tex Perkins, Don Walker and Charlie Owen create haunting, beautiful character portraits, bringing to life the underbelly of Australian society. Much as Bruce Springsteen did with Nebraska and The Ghost of Tom Joad, they give a voice to the drifters, the battlers, the underdogs, the small-time crims. All is Forgiven, the long-awaited follow up to one of the '90s best Australian recordings, Sad But True, is a brilliant record. From opening number Paycheque ("... on weekends, I perform miracles, turning paycheques into wine''), to Paul Kelly's You're 39, You're Beautiful and You're Mine and the almost spoken word Harry was a Bad Bugger, the trio shows a restrained, unique chemistry, creating timeless folk music that is quintessentially Australian. Such is the ease with which they interact, you'd swear they'd been playing together for 20 years. One of the albums of the year.

MATT DEIGHTON