JOE HENRY ~ The Gospel According to Water


 
Not the John Denver lyricist – this is another Joe Henry, with whom I am not familiar. Seems I ought to be! He sounds a bit Randy Newmanish on this release which was somewhat off the cuff; he’d gone into the studio to record demos for the planned album, all of which were rattled off with consummate ease and brevity. It sounded great so he decided to keep the core material and this is the result.  Just prior to all of this he’d been diagnosed with prostate cancer which may have lent some urgency and determination to his efforts (prognosis good). In addition to being a recording artist, he also appears to be held in high regard as a producer.

I like this album – very nicely executed and I can hear the lyrics clearly which is fairly unusual, possibly because of advancing years (dammit), but usually, I suspect, because they are often incidental, or the vocal is not mixed properly, or something along those lines.

Singer/songwriter stuff with folk leanings - of a similar ilk to Marc Cohn. Easy peasy … good Sunday music … a Dylan kinda thing here occasionally …

enters the Billboard Hot 100 Songs chart at #88

I don't like it

PIERS FACCINI - Hear My Voice


Copying from his Bandcamp page which makes a lot more sense than paraphrasing - https://piersfaccini.bandcamp.com/album/hear-my-voice-4

"In 2018, Piers Faccini came up with the idea of releasing an EP vinyl series for his label, Beating Drum, in order to champion the kind of eclectic and talented artists the label meets and seeks out for their productions. The EP collection called, HEAR MY VOICE, began with three distinct and original voices from around the world, the Neapolitan songwriter, GNUT, New Zealand songstress, TUi MAMAKI and the Trinidadian poet and singer, Roger Robinson under his Folk alias, HORSEDREAMER. 
For the fourth EP in the collection and wishing to highlight the series more, PIERS FACCINI decided to release one of his own.


In his previous albums, I DREAMED AN ISLAND (2016) and SONGS OF TIME LOST (2014) with cellist Vincent Segal , the songwriter had explored cross cultural routes to reach a form of songwriting without borders but for his HEAR MY VOICE EP, he found inspiration in the kind of British and North American folk that coloured his first forays into songwriting and the result is vintage Faccini songwriting ; sparse, essential and poetic."

I've sung Faccini's praises on the board before - I think he makes great sounds, however, quite where he fits in terms of genre, who can say? I feel that this EP is more easy listening or soft rock than folk. An unusual artist in this world of same, same. Always good to hear what he's come up with ...  

enters the Billboard Hot 100 Songs chart at #85

I don't like it

enters the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart at #26

courtesy of Spotify



from South Carolina
6th album
14 year break while Darius went solo

fav - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TIrkIoVO_0

single

enters the Billboard Hot 100 Songs chart at #79

I don't like it

Spotify listen:

from California
folk/alt-folk band
seventh album
was the cover art that attracted me to this one
nothing really stands out, just an album of pleasant easy listening folky tunes
its bugging me as theres a 'sounds like' but I cant put my finger on it

favourite:

enters the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart at #14

courtesy of Spotify



from Florida
2nd album
hasn't even made it to wiki
not much of the gospel
plenty of ghetto
seems the album title was a Tupac single
but kudos for the minimal vulgarity

single

enters the Billboard Hot 100 Songs chart at #55

I don't like it

has spent his solo career trying to avoid that Oasis sound but not this time
good song