Nick Drake – Pink Moon
Really hard to pick a Nick Drake album and it was a close call between this and Five Leaves Left, with its classics like 'River Man' and 'Cello Song'. In the end, though, Pink Moon has a certain sweetness that I love. All of this man's repertoire is obviously a huge influence on my solo work; his use of open tunings on guitar and the sheer genius of his songwriting still have me in awe. There's a magical interplay of the almost childlike simplicity of some of his lyrics with the intricacy of guitar-playing that is beyond compare.