Keith Welsh
American
Boxcar
It poured down rain yesterday; I’m talking not just buckets, but bathtubs. A perfect time to put on Keith Welsh’s American. His quiet, beautiful songs – largely just acoustic guitar and plaintive voice, with occasional piano or harmonica accents – are perfect rainy day music. The liner notes call it “headphone friendly,” and it’s hard to disagree – the simple, pretty songs do lend themselves to introspection. But they’re also very easily accessible; I believe anyone could relate to these songs. I played the disc at my office, and it caught the ear of several folks who don’t usually have musical tastes in common with me. It’s not the disc to get the party started, but I can’t imagine there are many people that wouldn’t enjoy it – its gentle charms transcend genre.
I won’t single out specific tracks, because this is really an album to sit and absorb as a whole, preferably on a quiet, rainy day. A low-key, stark, and beautiful triumph.
Boxcar Records: http://www.boxcarrecords.com
