So, if you are a fan of folk, americana, blues or alt-country music, here are two cd’s I’ve recently discovered that I recommend:
Driving Blind by Jay Clifford
Jay Clifford is the lead singer of the band Jump Little Children (love me some B13, also Cathedrals). This solo album is solid from top to bottom. It features both guitar and piano driven tunes. It is somewhat laid back and very melodic. To me, he is reminiscent in various points of Ryan Adams, Jeff Buckley, John Mayer, etc. Especially good are the tracks Know When to Walk Away, Don’t Be Fooled, Invisible Sun, Paralyze, and Waltzing Past The Grave. They’re all good.
Sundirtwater by The Waifs
I just heard of this group this morning on Acoustic Cafe and can’t believe what I’ve been missing out on. They are an Australian trio that has a knack at singing American Roots music – go figure! They are mainly folk with tinges of blues (lots of harmonica and organ) and country. The two sisters and the guy trade off on vocals. The sisters have nice vocal harmonies. These guys record in Nashville and I found out that they were actually playing tonight at the Belcourt theatre. They’ve actually opened for Bob Dylan. I like the bluesy songs Pony and Sad Song Sailor as well as the up-tempo roots rockers How Many Miles, Goodbye, and Stay.
By the way, if you’re unfamiliar with Acoustic Cafe, it’s a great syndicated radio program that plays folk/roots/americana music. It’s on here in Nashville on Lightning 100.1 FM from 9 to 11 am Sunday mornings and can be found online http://www.acafe.com/ . They also have all their live studio performances and best of shows online in an archive http://www.mlive.com/cafe/ .
