Having launched his career on Australian Idol in 2006, Damien Leith has returned to covers with his album ‘Catch the Wind,’ a collection of classic folk songs from the 60s and 70s. For Damien, this album was a chance to perform the songs that marked the start of his love affair with music.

‘My dad’s a guitarist and my mom’s a singer. While we were kids growing up, this was all the music they played.’ Damien said. ‘The first song that I ever played properly on the guitar was “The Needle and the Damage Done” by Neil Young. From that point onwards I became a massive Neil Young fan and I’ve gone to his concerts all over the place. That’s why Old Man is on the album and Only Love Can Break Your Heart.’

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Covering songs on his terms was a refreshing change from the format of Idol that, at times, forced Damien to play to audience preference or venture into genres he was less well suited to.

‘This album is very specific with the style and the generation where it comes from. On Idol you have a different theme every week, so it was actually quite random. Some things didn’t suit you but you had to pull it off anyway. Where this is very specific, it was me picking songs that I love to sing, that I know suit my voice well and that have a definite connection with me.’

Perhaps, the most striking thing about this collection of classics is how relevant many of the songs seem today. While the war has moved from Vietnam to Iraq and the fear has shifted from communism to terrorism, the political messages still pack a punch.

‘We definitely have a lot of problems that if you look at some of the songs Times They Are A-Changing and all the rest, the things that they are talking about you can link to all the wars that are happening at the moment.’

Yet, with all the similarities between then and now, for Damien, there has been one notable change – technology. After all, Damien says, for the likes of Bob Dylan, Neil Young and Don McLean, music ‘was the main message giver in the world, but now we’ve got the Internet and we’ve got Youtube, which has lessened that view for music. I think the role of music in all of this is still there, but in many ways, it isn’t as essential.’

That may be so, but if ‘Catch the Wind’ proves one thing, it is that no matter how cluttered the Internet becomes with the latest pop fads, a well-performed classic will always stand out.

Damien Leith will be performing shows in Western Australia July 2-5, includinga performance at Fly By Night in Fremantle on July 4. For details, visit www.damienleith.com.