Jacksonport – “Boundless love” (John Prine cover)
-If you follow us on Twitter, you already know that I love this track. In fact, I’ll probably be spinning it almost non-stop for the near future. The combination of one of my current favorite folk artists covering one of the greatest songwriters in history… well, it just works. Jacksonport has the very unique quality of being able to express the idiosyncratic lines of Prine in a believable way. It’s a beautifully captivating style. Heck, even the trumpet works well on this version. I could most definitely see this being one of the songs that I write about again in December. It’s an exceptionally good performance.
Alan O’Neill – “for you”
-“I could spend all day singing and never find the truth.” Something about that line just rolls perfectly with this melody. Alan O’Neill is one of those songwriters that makes you stop and say who IS this guy? There’s a Milk Carton Kids sentiment in the vocal harmonies here and an absolutely amazing lyrical sentiment at the heart of the song. Consider me captivated. The production is expertly balanced, allowing the listener to engage with the message while being soothed by the instrumentation. This is truly an outstanding production and I hope more people will support it.
Lucas James McCain – “The cat makes three”
-From the very opening of the track, the acoustic energy of this track let me know it was going to be good. Once McCain starts singing it moves from good to great. Every note feels like it’s put there for a reason yet at the same time there’s a blessed nonchalance about the whole performance that I really love. It reminds me of the kind of folks who would play music whether or not there’s an audience. The bluesy energy in the “ohh honey I’ll keep you nice and warm” feels just right. The harmonica and the acoustic guitar play off of each other perfectly. This… THIS is what I mean when I tell people that I like Americana music. In fact, I love everything about this.
