While the classic Beans on Toast formula is alive and well on ‘A Bird in the Hand,’ indie folk stalwart Jay McAllister’s latest record is at its best when it trades his trademark political jibes for honest confessionals. A stalwart of the British indie folk scene, Jay ‘Beans on Toast’ made his name from delivering brutally direct political statements (see: ‘A Whole Lot of Loving’) and humorous anecdotes on drugs and sex (see: ‘M. D. M. Amazing’) over a plucked acoustic guitar