Langhorne Slim
Langhorne Slim
Kemado
Not since I stumbled upon Ani DiFranco fourteen years ago has a folk musician excited me so much.
Anyone who slings on an acoustic guitar and steps on-stage at an open mic, a coffeehouse, or even on a street corner can pretty much trace his/her lineage back to Bob Dylan and Woody Guthrie. The folk song as an art form has been done again, and again, and again. In the pool of folk music it takes a strong swimmer to raise his or her head above water and be counted – Langhorne Slim not only has his head above water, he’s comfortably resting on a raft.
His self-titled release from Kemado Records is not his first, but it’s the first that I’ve heard, and it’s perfection. I don’t mean that it’s just good for now and that it will soon disappear onto my shelves of countless other albums that were great for a moment but didn’t stand the test of time. I mean to say that this album is destined to be a classic for anyone who sits down and listens to it.
From start to finish there is not one song out of place. “Diamonds and Gold,” “Rebel Side of Heaven”, “Restless,” and “Hummingbird” could each single-handedly reassure even the most jaded critic on the current state of modern music. If this is the future of folk music, I may need to start paying attention again.
Langhorne Slim: http://www.myspace.com/langhorneslim
