You might think this guy came out of the woodwork, but here is a list of songs he wrote or co-wrote. Enjoy. Clickable links to multiple music services.
In a highly-charged political climate in which immigration is the hot topic all over the world, Ben Glover’s new album The Emigrant could hardly be better timed.
The
singer-songwriter was born and brought up in rural County Antrim, but
has plied his trade in Nashville, Tennessee since 2009, so is no
stranger to dislocation. He has compiled a collection of ten songs -
four original, and six gathered from elsewhere - addressing this
universal theme from every angle.
Glover begins with a brooding,
minor rendition of the well-known traditional song The Parting Glass,
featuring some fine fiddle playing from Eamon McLoughlin. This leads
into two superb original songs. A Song of Home, co-written by Tony Kerr,
is a rose-tinted look back at a far-off homeland. This is followed by
the title track, which Glover wrote with legendary Nashville songwriter
Gretchen Peters.
A beautiful look at the struggles of an emigrant
which is seemingly inspired in equal parts by Joni Mitchell, Bruce
Springsteen, and the twin folk cultures of Glover’s two homes, The
Emigrant is a brilliant showcase for Glover’s textured and emotional
voice and the instrumental talents of his band. Also of note is the more
upbeat Heart in My Hand, which takes a more positive and yet still
distinctly pensive view of moving across the sea.
The songs
borrowed from other places are of equal merit. Ralph McTell’s From Clare
to Here is reproduced in a deeply melancholy and reminiscent mood very
faithful to the original, while a mournful rendition of Eric Bogle’s
legendary anti-war song And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda could bring
a tear to the hardiest eye. The Emigrant
concludes with a traditional song from Glover’s homeland, The Green
Glens of Antrim. This touching ode to his distant home is a fitting end
to a wonderful album. Combining his deeply personal experiences with an
issue so immediately relevant to us all has produced an emotional and
intensely thought-provoking masterpiece.
“Cabbagetown” is the new music project from the Atlanta-based blues and roots rock quartet,
After
a long and successful European tour in spring 2016, the band reconvened
in Marlon Patton’s studio in Tucker, Georgia, to strike while still red
hot from playing six nights a week for the past several months. The
atmosphere was relaxed and fun, in a rural setting surrounded by great
gear, a Pyrenees pup named Leo, woods, chickens, vegetarian food and
lots of session ales.
Award-winning songwriter Tom Gray had several new Delta Moon classics ready to go – ‘Rock And Roll Girl,’ ‘The Day Before Tomorrow,’ ‘Just Lucky I Guess,’ and ‘Coolest Fools.’ Full-band renditions quickly followed with a few twists, Mark Johnson playing lap steel on ‘Rock And Roll Girl’ and Gray playing Spanish-style guitar on several songs. The rest of the original songs were written by the band in the studio, including ‘Refugee,’ ‘21st Century Man,’ ‘Cabbagetown Shuffle,’ ‘Sing Together’ and ‘Mad About You.’ This method of writing led to some interesting results with new emphasis on Franher Joseph’s rich bass voice, some non-slide lead playing by Johnson and Gray’s piano playing. In Johnson’s home studio Susannah Masarie and Kyshona Armstrong added backing vocals. Jon Liebman played harmonica on ‘Death Letter.’ Finally, the band headed to Bakos Amp Works to finish overdubs and mix the album in their old studio, now inhabited by the talented Jeff Bakos.
The opening track, ‘Rock and Roll Girl,’ is an autobiography of roots-rock dreams with a Springsteen like appeal. The free-flowing acoustic-driven groove of ‘The Day Before Tomorrow’ has an ultra-optimistic sensibility and alt-country flair. Franher Joseph moves to upright bass for the mostly acoustic introspective tome ‘Just Lucky I Guess’ and Gray picks some sublime lap steel guitar on the happy-go-lucky love song ‘Coolest Fools.’ Delta Moon are not ones to shy away from hot topics, taking on the viewpoint of the silent victims of the world’s problems on the provocative track ‘Refugee’ recounting their plight in multi-voiced narratives over a soulful groove. Gray switches to electric piano for the driving ‘Mad About You’ and drummer Patton lays down a phat hip hop beat to open the ultra-modern reading of ‘Death Letter’ with Jon Liebman adding greasy blues harmonica, sparing with Gray’s lap Steel. Another deep groove is at the center of Gray’s satirical look at our gadget-obsessed world on ‘21st Century Man,’ while the back-porch blues that inspired the album title ‘Cabbagetown Shuffle’ is a lively duel between Gray on Hawaiian guitar and Johnson on bottleneck slide. Gray leaves us with a lesson about our shared humanity on the gently rocking ‘Sing Together’ with Johnson preaching to the choir with more of his glistening slide guitar.
Rick J Bowen
BIOGRAPHY
Tom Gray and Mark Johnson met many years ago now in an Atlanta music store when Tom tried to sell Mark a Dobro out of the back of his van. Mark didn’t buy the guitar, but the two soon got together to swap slide guitar licks. That summer, on a pilgrimage to Clarksdale, Mississippi, Mark saw a huge yellow moon rise over Muddy Waters’ cabin and said, “That’s the name of my next band — Delta Moon.”
The idea of two slide guitarists in the same band is an unusual approach, but it works phenomenally well for Delta Moon. Tom and Mark started playing regularly in coffee shops and barbecue joints around Atlanta. In the early 2000s Delta Moon added a rhythm section and quickly gathered a wall-full of local “best” awards. After winning the International Blues Challenge in Memphis in 2003, the band widened its travels to include concerts and festivals in the US, Canada, and Europe. They have been touring ever since. Delta Moon’s music has been featured in television shows on Showtime, Lifetime, the Food Network and more.
The American Roots Music Association named Tom Gray 2008 Blues Songwriter of the Year. His songs have been recorded by Cyndi Lauper (including the hit “Money Changes Everything”), Manfred Mann, Carlene Carter, Bonnie Bramlett and many others.
Tom Gray: vocals, lap steel, guitar, keyboards, harmonica
Mark Johnson: guitar, banjo, backing vocals
Franher Joseph: bass, backing vocals
Marlon Patton: drums
Delta Moon. It’s the band’s 8th studio album and the follow-up to the award-winning 2015 release, Low Down, named one of the best blues records of the year by both Downbeat and Blues Music Magazine. The new album consists of nine original compositions and one cover of Son House’s timeless classic, ‘Death Letter.’
David Ramirez is rock n’
roll via Texas. He’s a little bit western and a whole lot of grit. His
music is soulful, restorative, and will make you listen closely. He
sings of hard times, deep love, and the rigors of the music industry.
More than anything, he’s one hell of a storyteller. Historian,
therapist, bartender, barb, and poet, David Ramirez is, simply put, one
of the best songwriters on the planet right now. Fables fits in nicely
with Ramirez’s growing iconic discography.
...
Where Ramirez’s last album had a lot of angst and frustration to it,
this album Fables feels like it has two primary messages. First, it’s
about joy in the midst of difficulty in relationships. The other is that
the striving of the music industry is worth it, even if you sometimes
feel like giving up. What thrills me about this album is that there are a
few really great pure songs that will translate really well to live
shows. Ramirez is such an awesome songwriter, there’s no reason to wash
out his songs in over production. This album has just the right balance
as to use the band to highlight the messages of the songs. It’s a
start-to-finish love-to-listen record. It’s hard to pick a “single” on
this one and that’s exactly the point. This is a fresh take on the old
school of songwriting. Bravo.
Although 2016's Kid Sister is only their third LP, Western swing ensemble the Time Jumpers
have been a Nashville institution since the late '90s. Formed by a crew
of top-shelf session players seeking a casual outlet outside of the
studio, they became a Music City staple when they landed a weekly
residency at The Station Inn playing old swing tunes, jazz, and pop
standards. With 2007's live album Jumpin' Time, they parlayed their status as Monday night's hottest band into a couple of Grammy nominations, then added Vince Gill to the band as a guitarist and occasional frontman. Fast forward to 2016 and the Time Jumpers
are still Monday night's hottest band, though their popularity caused
them to move their weekly gig to the larger capacity 3rd & Lindsley.
Following their 2012 self-titled studio debut, vocalist -- and wife of
fiddler and founding member Kenny Sears -- Dawn Sears succumbed to cancer, leaving a major hole in what has become a tight-knit musical family. Named for and dedicated to Sears, Kid Sister
is the group's first album since her passing and is the last to feature
her powerhouse voice, which can be heard on the two opening tracks.
While the Jumpers
are most vibrant in front of an audience, they turn in a solid set
here, full of heart, soul, and plenty of craft. Highlights include the
instrumentally dazzling live favorite "All Aboard," the smoky "Blue
Highway Blue," and the heartbreaking title cut. As on-stage, their unity
as a ten-piece band is at the heart of what they do, with vocals and
licks deftly passed back and forth among the ranks, despite having a
well-known commodity in Gill. Among the fine Western swing covers and ballads are a number of Gill-penned
songs, one of which -- "We're the Time Jumpers" -- acts as the group's
theme song. Still, he and his bandmates are team players above all,
faithfully serving this timeless brand of American music and, in this
case, doing so in the spirit of Sears and her years of camaraderie and collaboration.
In the decade since releasing his 2006 debut, Brent Cobb also emerged as a Music Row songwriter, landing songs with high-profile artists like Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, and Kenny Chesney,
among others. His move into the Nashville establishment may have
brought his career some well-deserved success, but as an artist, his
heart remained rooted in the Deep South of his hometown, Ellaville,
Georgia. Produced by Brent's cousin Dave Cobb (Shooter Jennings, Sturgill Simpson) at his Low Country Sound studio, Shine on Rainy Day
is personal and soulful, with little of contemporary country's gloss
and a stripped-down, earthy poeticism that some have likened to Kris Kristofferson's early albums. On these ten songs, small-town Georgia -- its sights, smells, feelings, residents, and customs -- are Brent's
muse and partner. It's a world he sketches in "South of Atlanta," a
gently sprawling five-minute waltz whose lyrics celebrate a town "where
the water is clean, loblollies grow tall and winters ain't mean." It's a
feeling he yearns for in the easy rise and fall of "Country Bound," as
he questions what's missing in his crowded city lifestyle. Even when not
directly addressing his muse, its tone and texture creep in on deep,
bluesy tracks like "Let the Rain Come Down" and "Black Crow," the latter
of which features some fine slide work by Jason Isbell. Framing the songs are Dave's unfussy arrangements and natural production style, which really bring out the relaxed intimacy of Brent's
writing. Whether it's the family connection or merely a shared
understanding of what is needed, the two Cobbs seem to bring out the
best in each other on this fine release.
In 1999, John Prine released a thoroughly charming and engaging album called In Spite of Ourselves,
in which he covered a handful of classic country tunes (tossing in one
new original for good measure) as duets with nine talented female
vocalists. Prine has given the same approach another try 17 years later, and though For Better, or Worse
isn't quite as good as his first go-round with this concept, it's still
a fine collection of songs from a man who knows a bit about crafting a
tune. The greatest strength of For Better, or Worse is also one of its weaknesses -- Prine himself. Prine
was nearly 70 when he recorded this album, and his voice has grown
worse for wear (his battle with throat cancer in the '90s and a more
recent brush with lung cancer haven't helped). But if he sounds his age
on these tracks, he also spins that to his advantage; on numbers like
"Who's Gonna Take the Garbage Out," "Dim Lights, Thick Smoke," and "I'm
Telling You," he sounds like an wily old rascal who's seen it all and
has plenty to tell. Prine's
female co-stars are all in better shape than he is in terms of their
instruments, and across the board they sound happy and honored to be
working with the great man. Alison Krauss, Lee Ann Womack, Kacey Musgraves, Susan Tedeschi, Miranda Lambert, and Kathy Mattea all bring their A game to these sessions, and help to give Prine a boost when he needs it. Of course, the best tracks are the ones where Prine teams up with Iris DeMent;
the two singers have long shown they're simpatico, and hearing them
together on "Who's Gonna Take the Garbage Out" and "Mr. & Mrs. Used
to Be" is a delight. Add in a studio band that delivers the classic
Nashville honky tonk sound these songs demand, and a closing solo
performance of "Just Waitin'," where Prine makes Luke the Drifter's
lyrics sound like something he could have written himself, and you get a
fine latter-day album from a seminal artist. It's still troubling that
one of America's best songwriters seems to have lost the desire to pen
new material, but For Better, or Worse shows John Prine hasn't lost his spirit as a performer.
Weightless, the second Sugar Hill offering from singer/songwriter Liz Longley, offers a natural evolution in her sound. Produced by Bill Reynolds (Band of Horses, Avett Brothers),
this date uses the meld of pop Americana that established her
reputation and grafts on indie and rock & roll. Recorded at
Fleetwood Shack in Nashville, Longley, Reynolds,
and a small cast of players straddle a line between contemporary
country's hooky melodicism (sans production staples like fiddles, steel
guitars, and banjos), 21st century indie rock, and the country-pop/rock
that songwriters like Rosanne Cash, Rodney Crowell, and Carlene Carter embraced in the late '70s and early '80s. Longley's
trademark as a lyricist is in writing unflinching narratives, but these
songs, whose topics include the attainment of freedom at any cost,
loss, vulnerability, and the acceptance of change no matter how
difficult, are particularly steely. Assembled they form a poetic -- and
kinetic -- meditation on relationships and personal transformation. The
pulsing new wave keys in "Swing" frame an intimate vocal before electric
guitars and tom-toms thunder in from the margins. Longley's
grainy falsetto declares: "Can't settle me down/Or make me stand
still/Can't hold me back, nobody ever will...." The title track
underscores that theme as her protagonist cuts free from a destructive
relationship. A strummed acoustic guitar hovers about under her
initially hesitant vocal, but in the chorus, punchy electric six-string
guitars and crashing cymbals shore up the singer's conviction; the tune
gathers steam and becomes an anthem. "Say Anything You Want" balances a
rough and tumble Neil Young & Crazy Horse-style attack with an infectious melodic hook, it's among the best things here. Longley
finally places "Rescue My Heart" -- an aching ballad used in both ABC's
Switched at Birth and MTV's Scream: The TV Series -- on an album. The
resigned and determined lyrics in "Never Really Mine" are complemented
by a cinematic arrangement that blurs the lines between Americana,
vintage rock, and indie pop. The slow rocking "Electricity," adorned in
reverb, drum loops, acoustic piano, and layered backing vocals in choral
style, is glorious indie pop. "Oxygen" seamlessly melds dreamy pop
atmospherics and indie rock into a dramatic close. Its lyric bets on
love as the force of redemption. Longley's been heading toward Weightless
for a while, yet fine as it is, it still sounds like she's on the road
to something bigger, wider. That's a not a criticism: Musical evolution
is part and parcel of what makes pop music compelling. To hear this
songwriter's growing confidence as she moves from strength to strength
is a privilege.
Remarkable is the only way to describe Ron Stewart’s banjo playing on Croweology.
Another New South alum, Ron probably remembers more Crowe licks than
J.D. himself, and he displays that monumental vocabulary across all 13
tracks. Playing fiddle with Crowe for years has allowed Ron to not only
play like his idol, but think like him as well. Banjo players will be
poring over this CD for years trying to pick up what Stewart knows. Most
pickers would shrink from stepping into Crowe’s shoes, but Ron plainly
revels in it.
Blue Highway
have been one of the most well-respected bands in bluegrass since they
made their debut in 1996, and with the group's consistent excellence
on-stage and in the studio, there hasn't been much in the way of change
in their story. 2016's Original Traditional actually marks a turning point in Blue Highway's career as they celebrate their 20th Anniversary -- it's their first album since Dobro master and founding member Rob Ickes left the group, and introduces Gaven Largent,
a gifted 19-year-old picker making his debut with the band. (All the
more remarkably, this is only the second personnel change in the group's
history, and Largent is the only current member of Blue Highway who didn't appear on their debut album.) It's a compliment to Largent
to say that many fans might not notice the difference; the young man's
Dobro solos on numbers like "If Lonesome Don't Kill Me," "Last Time I'll
Ever Leave This Town," and "She Ain't Worth It" are technically
impressive and melodically sound, and fit these songs like a glove.
Elsewhere, Original Traditional finds Blue Highway
doing what's made them bluegrass legends; the group's instrumental work
is uniformly excellent, with tight ensemble picking and great soloing
from Jason Burleson on banjo, Shawn Lane on fiddle and mandolin, and Tim Stafford
on guitar. The band's outstanding harmonies are still in excellent
shape (their a cappella version of the gospel standard "Hallelujah" is
one of this album's highlights), and the lead vocals from Stafford, Lane, and bassist Wayne Taylor are strong and sincere. And as the title suggests, Original Traditional testifies to Blue Highway's
gift for bringing fresh ideas to music that still honors the roots of
bluegrass, with 11 original songs that deal with subjects as old as love
gone wrong, and as urgent as a young man running from a life of abuse
and desperation. Not many groups in any genre can sound as fresh and
vital after two decades together as Blue Highway do on Original Traditional,
and if another 20 years might seem overly optimistic, there's no
audible reason why this group shouldn't have at least another good
decade of heartfelt music in them.
Blues & Ballads: A Folksinger's Songbook, Vols. 1-2 is the solo album Luther Dickinson has been hinting at for half a decade. In 2010, Home Sweet Home, a collection of old-time folk and blues standards, appeared by the South Memphis String Band (a collective of Dickinson, Alvin Youngblood Hart, and Jimbo Mathus). Two years later, its follow-up, Old Times There..., was one of three Dickinson-related albums released on the same day; the others were Hambone's Meditations (solo guitar instrumentals inspired by Jack Rose and the Takoma School) and Go on Now, You Can't Stay Here: Mississippi Folk Music, Vol. 3 (with the Wandering, an acoustic vocal group featuring Dickinson, Sharde Thomas, Amy LaVere, and Shannon McNally). Most of the aforementioned are present here, as are appearances by Mavis Staples, Jason Isbell, Will Sexton, JJ Grey, and others. Dickinson
has been collecting songbooks and sheet music throughout his life.
Though he wrote or co-wrote all 21 songs here, they have been inspired
by tunes he learned and people and traditions he learned from. The
production is intimate, stripped down. Voices and guitars are prominent,
but drums, blues fife, and an upright piano and organ are heard here
and there. All the songs were recorded live in the studio at various
times, often in a single take. Fans of North Mississippi Allstars may recognize "Hurry Up Sunrise." It was worked up from an idea Otha Turner gave Dickinson. It was a blazing blues-rocker on Electric Blue Watermelon.
Here, it's a sweet folk-blues with upright bass, electric slide guitar,
and male-female duet vocals. There are several gospel blues tunes
centering on mortality, passage, and transition. None are morbid. "Ain't
No Grave," written just after the passage of Dickinson's dad, was cut in a single take with Staples, with his electric slide guitar the only accompaniment. Deeply moving, it is an exceptional moment. "Let It Roll" showcases Charles Hodges' B-3 as the testifying preacher instrument. Dickinson, LaVere, Thomas, and Lillie Mae Rische provide duet and chorus vocals. Thomas'
blues fife make the acoustic country blues "My Leavin'" as tender as it
is profound. "Bang Bang Lulu," co-written with his father, is a
house-rent boogie with swinging fiddle, Beale Street piano, tub-thumping
bass, maracas, and searing slide guitar. "Highwater (Soldier)," with
its martial drumming and gutbucket bassline, is raw, uptempo 21st
century Delta blues. The South Memphis String Band reunites on the Mathus/Dickinson number "Shake (Yo Mama)." Banjo, mandolin, and acoustic guitar deliver a hard-grooving tribute to Slim Harpo's "Shake Your Hips." Blues & Ballads: A Folksinger's Songbook, Vols. 1-2 is a musical autobiography. For Dickinson,
blues and folk music are living traditions that continue to inform his
geography, and his life and work within it. It's fortunate that he
considered these songbooks worth sharing.
New Jersey native Jonah Tolchin returns with Thousand Mile Night, the understated follow-up to his 2014 Yep Roc debut, Clover Lane.
On this outing, the young blues traveler finds himself in Muscle
Shoals, Alabama working at legendary FAME Studios with a crack team of
players assembled by producer Marvin Etzioni.
Musically, it's a logical progression from his last LP, though at
times, it feels more reflective and meditative, relying less on outright
blues and roots explorations and more on a classic singer/songwriter
type of approach. In that respect, Tolchin's
growth seems more evident, especially on some of the gentler tracks
like opener "Beauty in the Ugliest of Days" or the wistful "Completely."
Here, his debt to American roots traditions takes a backseat to his own
personal musings, which come off as more authentic in the process. A
pleasantly casual vibe persists throughout the entire record, with many
of the parts having been improvised on tape and most of the songs
recorded live in the studio. The title cut, a classic slow-burning road
tune describing a long haul trek from "Mobile to Michigan," features
some slinky slide guitar work and spot-on chops from Tolchin's band, which includes guitarist Lucas Hamren, bassist Jamie McFarlane,
and drummer Michael Bosco. Soulful lead single "Unless You Got Faith"
is in keeping with the Southern traditions explored on his previous
releases, and album-closer "Hard Time Killing Floor Blues" is a solo
acoustic rendition of the Skip James classic. As a whole, Tolchin's rootsy acoustic mix works for him, though he shines brightest on the folkier, more heartfelt tracks.
Oh My Goodness is the first solo record by songwriter and keyboard ace Donnie Fritts
since 2008, and only his fourth since 1974. He was a quiet, integral
member of the legendary Muscle Shoals session crew that delivered so
much pop, soul, and country to the annals of music history, and
afterwards played an equally important role in country and R&B
circles as a session man, writer, and arranger. His songs -- including
"Breakfast in Bed," "We Had It All," "Choo Choo Train" (redone in a
great new version here), "Take Time to Love," and "Rainbow Road" -- have
been recorded by dozens of artists. Producer John Paul White (ex-Civil Wars) also acted as arranger and musical director and issued the set on his Single Lock label. While visiting Fritts, White
heard him sing while accompanying himself on his weathered Wurlitzer;
some tunes weren't his but he played them as if they were. White coaxed Fritts into building an album around his voice and instrument, and assembled a revolving cast including Alabama Shakes' Brittany Howard and Ben Tanner, Jason Isbell, Amanda Shires, John Prine, David Hood, Reggie Young, Spooner Oldham, the Secret Sisters, Dylan LeBlanc, and various horns and strings. The track list includes originals with choice covers. "Errol Flynn" (written by cabaret singer Amanda McBroom -- she also penned "The Rose" -- and Gordon Hunt) is a daughter's elegy of tribute and loss to her father. Fritts' world-weary voice recalls Levon Helm's; his Wurlitzer digs through White's guitars, Tanner's pump organ, and horns. Another standout is a unique arrangement of Jesse Winchester's "Foolish Heart," with New Orleans-style brass (including tuba), upright piano, and White and LeBlanc's voices. Things get bluesy too. Check this reading of the ubiquitous "Memphis Women & Chicken (co-written with Dan Penn and Gary Nicholson). Hood's hard-grooving bassline adds just a trace of funk to the 12-bar progression and Bryan Farris' leads sting. "Tuscaloosa 1962" touches the Band's greasy intro to "Up on Cripple Creek," with Isbell dealing out a snarling slide guitar. The reading of Gene Thomas' 1971 breakup single "Lay It Down" is killer. Fritts' earthy country-soul vocal is framed by strings, horns, pedal steel, and a stirring gospel-inspired backing chorus. Paul Thorn's forlorn ballad "Temporarily Forever Mine" is a wistful hymn of surrender and longing with only violin, cello, and Young's signature guitar playing as accompaniment. The title track closer is a moving love song with Oldham's
piano as the only instrument. It's low-key but passionate. The lyrics
express eternal devotion and gratitude to his beloved; the separation of
death will not breach its strength. Tenderness and vulnerability are
openly expressed, revealing humility, desire, and even wisdom. Oh My Goodness is informal and intimate, but with enough grit and groove to make it a joy. Given its quality, one hopes that Fritts will record again, and soon.
A staple of the Yep Roc roster since 2005, North Carolina's Chatham County Line
often get labeled as a bluegrass act, though that's only a small part
of what they do. More than anything, they're an Americana string band
focused around the subtle songwriting talents of singer/guitarist Dave Wilson, who also acts as producer on Autumn, the group's eighth LP. In the album's press release, Wilson
compares his band to both an old bowling alley and a hardware store in
that they reliably deliver a familiar experience that keeps customers
coming back year after year. It's self-deprecating, for sure, but Chatham County Line are anything but flashy, and they are certainly reliable in terms of quality and tone. For a string band album titled Autumn,
they deliver exactly what you'd want: a nuanced selection of warm,
earthy music replete with gentle guitar picking, woody mandolin, muted
banjo, occasional piano, and a robust vocal blend to evoke the wistful
changing of the season. A rich inner language can be felt between Wilson and his colleagues John Teer (mandolin, fiddle), Chandler Holt (banjo, vocal), and Greg Readling
(bass, piano, pedal steel, organ) whose parts all dovetail perfectly in
the casual kind of way that comes from years of collaborating together.
Instead of coming out of the gate at a sprint, they open with "You Are
My Light," an early highlight with an underpinning of late-year darkness
in its slinky midtempo hook. The maritime-themed "Siren Song," another
strong cut, is imbued with a timeless comfort that belies its fine
craft. In fact, the band's amiable delivery often draws attention away
from their effortless compositions and arrangements to the point that
they can occasionally come across as unassuming. It's once again the
autumnal darkness that pulls them into sharper focus on the standout
"Moving Pictures of My Mind," a haunting ballad whose very essence
conjures up the chillier, lonesome side of their album's title.
