Category: Reviews

Mailbag: Andy Berkhout – Love Without Fear

Andy Berkhout‘s Love Without Fear is a beautiful, folk-inspired record that unfolds like a lazy afternoon in the country.  An acoustic album, with roots in folk and Americana, Love Without Fear is an intimate, gorgeous listen that is sure to captivate you.  Tracks like “Love’s Deep Embrace” (below) remind me of Elliott Smith, even as they create something that is both personal and original.

I have to agree with Slowcoustic on this one: “So essentially I am saying that you know this album wasn’t just thrown together, it grew out of crafting numerous tracks over time and it shows in the pretty darn solid collection of finger-picking, folk tinged beauties.”  Andy spent a year in which he released a song per week, and that dedication to improving and honing his songwriting craft really shines through here.

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Other Stuff You Might Like: Daytrotter

Chances are, you already know Daytrotter.  But in a series about excellent music websites, it’s almost criminal not to mention Sean Moeller’s extraordinary website.  Since 2007, the site has been serving up excellent, intimate music sessions for the masses.  Their motto: “One band a day, every day, 28 Daytrotter Session songs each week.”  Here’s how it works: Bands take a couple of hours out of their travels to visit The Horseshack in Rock Island, IL., where they then record a variety of tracks.  Daytrotter puts together some art, and an oft-amusing description of the session, and gives the music away on their site.  It’s an amazingly expansive collection, too, and a true marvel that it’s all done in a not-for-profit enterprise.  And while picking out highlights in this collection is like trying to pick out a favorite piece of sand on a pristine beach, I’ll do my best.

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Music for a Rainy Day: The Low Anthem

Founded in 2006 by Ben Knox Miller and Jeff Prystowsky, The Low Anthem are an indie-folk band from Providence, RI who use an amazing collection of traditional instruments (clarinet, saw (my personal favorite), and dulcimer) in combination with a rock setup to achieve a truly stirring sound.  The band – which now includes one-time NASA tech Jocie Adams and multi-instrumentalist Mat Davidson – also use multi-part harmonies that attest to their shared interest in gospel, blues, and folk.  The result is a sound that is simultaneously engages both our shared sense of Americana and our desire to hear something fresh.

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Mailbag: Chris Kiehne – Pray for Daylight

Chris Kiehne’s Pray For Daylight is a mesmerizing, almost-lost album full of exquisite harmonies (provided by the excellent Sonya Cotton) and wispy threads of literate, Americana-tinged folk.  It’s an album that – despite its hard-luck history – has a freshness that speaks volumes about its talented creators and their passion for this project.  At least, that’s my take.  Here’s what Chris has to say: “It’s about zombies and love and other gross stuff, and Sonya sings harmony through its entirety.”  Of course, there’s more to that story…but how can you pass up zombies?

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Mailbag: Melaena Cadiz – Rattle the Windows

Melaena Cadiz‘ Rattle the Windows is an absolute gem of alt-country/folk that I’ve been sitting on for entirely too long.  But now, as the weather turns more fully to spring, this album which talks of honeybees and dragonflies, walks in the night, and other vernal fare, is one that compels me to finally make amends and share its treasure with you.  So, let’s talk…

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