Three folk singer songwriters that remind us why subtlety is an art

Cole Swensen – “even though it’s not a lifetime”
-When this track came up in my submission list, I stopped what I was doing to just listen. This doesn’t happen to me very often, but it sure did with this latest release from Cole Swensen. It’s a love song. It’s a breakup song. It’s a song about moving on while feeling some lingering aspects in your heart. It’s undeniably tender and beautifully written. I love everything in this recording from the composition to the instrumentation. I always appreciate Swensen’s easy going vocal, which shines on this recording. This is such a remarkable piece I hope that it really has an opportunity to take off. “I couldn’t look you in the eye and wave the past goodbye.” Wow. The emotions evident in this song are off the charts.

Mukk’n – “Days Gone by”
-There’s an easy going energy to this composition that helps the listener ease into it. I appreciate the acoustic guitar in the opening, the approachable vocal, then the soft piano highlights that add layers of texture. The composition feels like it was perfectly made for an indie folk playlist. The rising vocal on the chorus provides a different, similarly rewarding dynamic. The lyrical vibe is about the emotional complexity of the subject returning home to someone else; it’s fully of emotional uncertainty and a sense of deep meaning. I don’t pretend to know the story behind these words, but I know that the listener can feel the richness coming through in the unique blend of instrumentation and lyrical expression here.

Laura Lucas – “Easy, Going”
-I love a good 6/8 timing that gets the “sway” going on a song. But more than the timing, the song stands out for the balance of movement and softness. Lucas writes with a real tenderness that comes through in the guitar, the backing, and absolutely comes through in the vocal work. There’s an intimacy in the recording that connects with every listen. The main lyric, “you make it look easy, going” has a double meaning of looking “easy going,” as in relaxed and effortless, yet also “easy, going” as in easy to leave. This is a special, deeply emotional sentiment of watching someone seemingly walk away from an experience that was heartbreaking. This is a wonderful piece of songwriting and well worth sitting with to connect and feel.