Co-produced by Thomas Bartlett (The National, Sufjan Stevens), and former Frames comrade and Grammy-winning producer David Odlum, Glen Hansard’s second solo album, Didn’t He Ramble, invokes the virtues of directness and simplicity. Boiled down to their essence, these songs say what they mean, with no double-talk, no obfuscation. Glen Hansard is the master in marrying simple, hypnotic grooves to tried and trusted musical textures — acoustic guitar, mandolin, horns, violin. It’s been a long haul for Hansard, who began his career as a street musician, busking on the streets of Dublin in the mid-80s before securing a record deal, but now, accompanied by his band, he has firmly arrived at destination.