Album Review: The Singer and the Songwriter – Dreams! The Dead! Ghost! Future!

Often, I run across artists who call themselves singer songwriters. It’s actually a stylistic and genre category that we love to support. Now, imagine our surprise when I found two artists who split those jobs, with one being the Singer and the other the Songwriter. It was cute, interesting, and I clicked play. Then I was surprised at the quality of the guitar first, the singer second, and the production of the songs third. This is a review of these talented artists in their new album.

The opener is a contemplative acoustic song, setting the stage for the first lyrical track that features the singer on “Drowsy Driver.” The rhythm is moving, the melody meandering, and the overall energy of the track is unique. It doesn’t feel like the same old folk music; there’s an energy to it that puts me more in mind of Nickel Creek than, say, Woody Guthrie.

There’s a punctuated style to the acoustic guitar on “The Work” that makes it stand out immediately. The chord progression is intriguing, creating a mysterious mood that really pulls the listener in. The haunting tone of the vocalist makes the song resonate clearly. It’s a song ostensibly about work – a topic that consumes so much of our lives it often makes us feel less than alive. The repeated, “oh the work’s never done” feels far too relatable. It’s a beautifully cathartic release.

One of the songs named in the album title, “The Dead!” carries over a fascinating acoustic styling with some fabulous chord developments. It’s a sophisticated sound that definitely deserves recognition. Despite being a short track, it shows off the guitar chops of the songwriter on this one.

“Over Easy” reminds me of eggs (which, I suppose is intentional), but the song itself reminds me a bit of a James Taylor style of folk. Something about the guitar breaks puts me in mind of the incomparable John Hartford. There’s a lightness and inspirational style to the song that I absolutely adore. It’s the kind of music that sits right in the melting point between country, folk, and just plain old storytelling. This is probably my favorite song on the album.

“Ghost!” is another track connected to the album title. The guitar playing is, again, impressive. There’s a contemplative phrasing style that really works on this one. It puts me in mind of listening to Jerry Reed or Roy Clark; the fingerpicking rolls together in a way that feels like the guitar is singing on its own and that’s beautiful. Jumping down to the other title song, “Future” keeps the acoustic solo style to it, with some wonderful phrasing yet again. It’s not always easy to write about instrumental music, but what I love about this style is that the listener can feel what the artist is saying. On “Future” the message has a hopefulness to it. There is apprehension in the opening, but the song really develops into something that is both comforting and promising of “more.”

“You Take Such Good Care of Me” is the song that made me say “YES!” to this band. The intimacy in the recording from the guitar to the vocal and the whole production is impressive. It’s a song that I’ve listened to enough at this point that it feels like it’s part of my own canon. If you’ve ever had someone take good care of you in a genuine way, this song will resonate for sure. The imagery is both viscerally real as well as a dash nostalgic in moments. It’s certainly worth consideration.

The whole album has a wonderful style to it, which is why we said yes to a feature. It’s the type of folk music that you will want to share with others. Some of the songs are contemplative and personal, while others are more relaxing in the background. The consistent piece of the duo’s work is the quality of the guitar from start to finish. This is a really wonderful album that I hope will get serious consideration from folk and Americana fans in 2024.