Another Friday night in Little Wymondley; another astonishing duo. The Dealers have swung hearts in the area a few times before but have an always-growing repertoire of original songs and sounds, and even if they didn't you would still want to see Bessie swirling and stamping on her stack boots and hear Pierre drumming on his guitar again. Their songs have flamenco passion, C&W shine, music-hall sensibility, Alpine and Appalachian shadings. They opened with the very approachable Five-Minute Star, about a toper and a toker in a pub near you, and then moved straight into emotion-land, where they have a delightful ability to write lines to express some of the small joys and sadnesses you experience but shrug off without further consideration.

("Why did you choose me so early?").

They didn't do a folksy evening, though. Bessie can really holler, and they sang fully-leaded versions of Lover Lover Lover (Leonard Cohen), Chocolate Jesus (Tom Waites) and one by John Prine that's really catchy and you didn't realise it was him but I've forgotten the title. "A Part of You" is a veeeery interesting song about Jack the Ripper - well it would be really, wouldn't it? You do get to smile too with the Dealers.

They are going out soon as a 6-piece, and releasing their third album, both of which want looking out for, as they are a national-standard treasure.- JULES,

Once in a while someone new turns up and they blow you away, or should that be glue you to the spot. OK, this acoustic duo looked different, and good-looking at that.

Their stage was nicely lit with a braid of red lights around the performance area, their audience interaction gentle yet firm, and they oozed talent. One gorgeous song after another, voices that meld together beautifully, in spirit, rhythm and tune - sometimes it was difficult to know who was singing which part. Bessie played some guitar and bass, which in itself is unusual for most male/female duos, but Pierre's rich variation of styles on acoustic and electric guitars, plus some technical looping wizardry from a foot-operated machine kept everyone focused for the entire evening.

These songs have to be heard - the Dealer's CD, simply called 'Listen', is a treasure, a carefully built and still emotionally charged chapter of songs about love and life, with some great angles on how the loved-up mind can say the weirdest things.

The Dealers are touring later in 2007 - if you like your harmony rich and your acoustic material varied and lyrically involving, I recommend going to see them.