THERE'S something of a buzz about Josh Ritter. Seriously, if you had to design a songsmith from scratch who'd be palatable to the mainstream, you couldn't do a better job.
Looking like a hero from a H G Wells novel, this US troubadour's music sounds like a Dylan or a MacGowan with the rough edges worn away - whiskey smooth, not whiskey sour. Less of a singer-songwriter, more of a singer-storyteller in the Neil Young tradition, Ritter's songs are decorated with characters and situations that hint at a broader landscape, as if you had been dropped in the middle of a novel and were still trying to play catch-up.
The airplay tracks merely hint at Ritter's promise - it's more intimate tracks such as Wings and Bone Of Song that will keep you transfixed. There's genius here, and the pre-packaged and processed music world doesn't offer that up often enough. So, don't let this be ignored.
Updated: 09:30 Thursday, April 29, 2004
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