Artist Highlight: Gregory Alan Isakov
Well I had started off by calling this the "Artist of the Week" column. Quickly realizing that I am nowhere near as consistent as it would be required for that sort of title, I am switching it to "Artist Highlight". Let's be realistic here.
Today, I am discussing a singer-songwriter that I found very inspiring: Gregory Alan Isakov.
As has been true for me recently, (see: On The State Of Music) Isakov's songs slipped into my ear canal via the trusty Pandora.com. His melancholic melodies along with the soft voice and beautiful lyrics was a combo to which I could relate.
If you visit his site, you can sample his tracks, and read all his lyrics.
The first song of his that I stumbled upon was The Sea, The Gambler, from the eponymous album from 2007. It is simply great. The vibe, the melody, everything about it. It sings almost like a shanty and it speaks of the sea, death, and love. Once I heard this, I bought the album. I did not regret it. All the songs are marvelous, but some that are really worth a listener's time are: Stable Song, which opens with the anthemic line "Remember when songs were just like prayers?"; and 3 a.m., which showcases the songwriter's fingerpickin' prowess that is sure to lure you down into the rabbit hole.
Isakov issued the second album, titled This Empty Northern Hemisphere in 2009. I have not acquired a copy yet.
One thing that stuck out to me, from a fellow songwriter - most of his songs do not have any percussion in them. They are composed mainly of string instruments: his guitar, a bass, and the occasional banjo, piano, mandolin. It is an interesting combination that he makes work extremely well. This is also the way in which he performs them live - he has a bass and a secondary string accompaniment.
No comments:
Post a Comment