As a literate singer-songwriter with a healthy knowledge and appreciation for neo-classic rock ‘n’ roll, John Wesley Harding was often compared to Elvis Costello (whose back-up group supported his debut studio album). Their vocal similarities aside, Harding cuts a different path with his third studio album Why We Fight. “Kill The Messenger” actually recalls the guitar-keyboard alchemy of another British neo-classicist act, Graham Parker and the Rumour, with equally compelling results. Billed as “An Experiment In Folk Noir,” Harding never adheres to any strict acoustic line. His strumming and finger-picking supplements “Ordinary Weekend,” “The Truth,” and “The Original Miss Jesus,” but he also sharpens his lyrical acumen for the twisted suspicions of “Hitler’s Tears” and the victim’s pain of “Where The Bodies Are,” and the full band arrangements add an atmospheric sophistication to these modern- day folk songs. Producer Steve Berlin of Los Lobos keeps things on track with careful but lively performances that allow Harding to sing straight from his heart without affectation.