Craig Finn – Clear Heart Full Eyes
Craig Finn, for the uninitiated, is the front man of American indie
rockers The Hold Steady and this is his debut solo album shortly to be
released.
Craig has left the more guitar driven sound of The Hold Steady
behind for this album and instead has opted for a more laid back, lo-fi
sound. He has added a healthy dose of Americana into the mix which
coupled with his narrative vocal style all comes together in a highly
listenable album.
The vocal delivery of Craig is the defining element to the album, he
has a distinctive, almost spoken style which comes across as a mix
between Randy Newman and Tom Waits. He has a similar song writing to the
afore mentioned pair with every song telling a story of life and love.
Album opener ‘When No One’s Watching’ is probably the closest the
disc gets to The Hold Steady sound with an excellent rhythmic groove and
great guitar playing, anyone familiar with Emmy Lou Harris’s
contemporary output would recognise a few cues here. Other tracks of
note are the uptempo, country tinged, ‘ New Friend Jesus’, ‘ Terrified
Eyes’, ‘Rented Room’, which is a slow building number which ends on a
high, and finally ‘ Not Much Left Of Us’ rounds things off nicely with
again a country tinged feel, pedal steel and all.
Craig has delivered an album to chill to, headphones on, lights
dimmed and drink in hand. A perfect way to unwind at the end of the day.
Go on, treat yourself.
David Wilson
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Power Plays w/c 11 November 2024
ARCANE MOON Hello Sun (indie)
S8NT ELEKTRIC XTC (Long Branch Records)
ARCANA KINGS Here We Go (Curtain Call Records)
KLOGR face The Unknown (Zeta Factory)
BEYOND UNBROKEN Dance With The Dead (FiXT)
REVENGIN Decadent Feeling (Wormholedeath)
Featured Albums w/c 11 November 2024
09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Singer Songwriter)
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Anonymous:
January 17th, 2012 at 16:32
Lovely little album proving Craig Finn has a real storyteller's gift through song. A proper solo album as well in that only one or two songs sound liek the Hold Steady.