Singled out: Postcard From Kentucky by Rocky Votolato

This is how I'd like to remember Texas, the way Rocky Votolato sculpts the stories in fly-over states and the ones down low, with swaggering harmonicas, rolling drums, a heart-strumming banjo and a low voice revealing some rare kind of Western wisdom while singing bottom of the bottle songs.

His fifth studio album, The Brag and Cuss following up Makers is full of lost and found sepia-toned sounds of America out West, rootsy, folksy and in every way so darn good to sing along to. I recommend streaming the whole album here, all of songs are warm and wonderful for a lonely summer night. "The Wrong Side of Reno" has won my heart along with "Lilly White", "Silver Trees" and oh the whole album is just a charmer. The eleven track album will drop into stores next Tuesday, June 19th, including the first single "Postcard from Kentucky".

It starts out with Votolato setting up a too familiar scene, "Jack Daniel's in one hand/a basic light in the other/my two best friends for so long/that I can't even remember...." Casey Foubert (Pedro the Lion) on the banjo follows his vocal melody closely and James McAllister (Sufjan Stevens) let the drums stay dry and remain out of the spotlight for this song.

For the most part, the song has an unwavering melody making its familiar rounds with each verse, but there are three certain points when his voice swells with emotion, rising higher above than the repetitive string of notes before, striking the listener most unexpectedly. Even though, it happens multiple times throughout the song, the sudden turn is so genuine that your reaction will remain a wonderful surprise and you'll come to look forward to those larger waves to overwhelm you when the song is played again. The thing with Votolato is that he doesn't come off as a sad sack, he sounds his best when injured and you don't need to have your arm twisted to sit down and join him in the ditch he dug himself in. You sit down, nodding and singing the blues away with him or try to anyways.


Stream + Download + More:

Postcard From Kentucky| Rocky Votolato


Links:

» Rocky Votolato's Official Site
» Stream The Brag and Cuss
» Pre-order/Purchase The Brag and Cuss
» Rocky Votolato's MySpace
» Rocky Votolato's Tour Dates

~anne