Malcolm Holcombe really didn't need the cancer to write another album full of songs about misery. So when he got that diagnosis last year, he already had the songs for Bits & Pieces (Proper Music/Need To Know) ready. And he wanted to take them in as soon as possible, because the future was uncertain. He did so close to home in Asheville, North Carolina, with Jared Tyler at his side. He single-handedly ensures that the message of Holcombe (vocals, acoustic guitar) has a solid foundation through his contributions on dobro, lap steel, baritone guitar, electric guitar, bass, mandola, tenor banjo, classical guitar, drums and percussion. And he also supports Holcolmbe on second voice, not that his raw vocal cords alone could not convey the story, incidentally. That voice has been broken for years. But that's the power. On the title track he tries to make ends meet. Although with empty pockets, rolled up in a curtain you can also get through the night on a cold floor. On Fill Those Shoes , he hears an old man tell his story and knows he's not the only one struggling. With Conscience Of Man he expresses confidence in his fellow man: 'Your love for blood and guns and money / Ain't gonna steal away my country / Kennedy, dr. King and Lincoln / Gave us tongues to pray and sing.