Tyler Cohen – “How I feel”
-A folk singer named Cohen? Color me interested. This Cohen, I will admit, deserves to stand on his own reputation. There’s a believable, almost familiar style to his vocal expressions. I feel like I could sit down over a cup of coffee with this guy. The lyrics are approachable and honest, capturing a common situation of telling someone you love them. The guitar work is easily in the folk tradition, with little flourishes that tip their hat toward blues and country. This is a hidden gem, friends.
Melissa Erin – “Golden”
-If someone asked me to pick a single track from 2020 to summarize the Americana genre, I would consider this track from Melissa Erin. It has beautiful fingerpicking acoustic guitar, thoughtful counter-cultural lyrics, and a lovely lead vocal. I can imagine if Woody Guthrie could hear this, he’d be proud. The themes of economic justice and individual perseverance are as American as apple pie. Melissa Erin makes them extra delicious on this captivating new Americana song.
IASU – “Seasons”
-There’s a relaxing fingerpicking guitar in the background of this song that immediately made me take notice. Once the lead vocal enters, I find myself sighing a deep sigh of relief. As someone who has lived my whole life in a place with all four seasons, I can relate to this sentiment really well. There are seasons to a year and to a life. The allegorical lyric work here is deeply satisfying; I won’t try to interpret them here, but I invite you all to sit down and drink in the wisdom of this beautiful folk/Americana piece.
Image courtesy: Melissa Erin IG
