A veteran of the legendary Chicago folk scene, Terry Callier is enjoying something of a creative renaissance with this tastefully produced collection of soulful compositions. The real virtue of Speak Your Peace is the manner in which Callier's warm, stately voice is allowed to shine over the jazzy instrumental backing, bringing the man's dignified humanity to the fore. His main weakness, meanwhile, is a tendency to lapse into self-righteousness - the mawkish 'Imagine A Nation' begins with a collage of children's voices before Callier jumps in with a disastrously ill-judged scat routine which does his political judgement no credit whatsoever. These moments are very much the exception, however, and more typical is the affecting 'Brother To Brother' where Callier duets beautifully with a clearly reverential Paul Weller. Walking the thin line between idealism and self-indulgence, Callier does his reputation no harm whatsoever with this excellent album - and may even win himself a new generation of fans in the process.

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