John Wesley Harding
(Yep Roc)
Make note, Misters Davies and Costello; singer, songwriter, author and auteur John Wesley Harding is crashing your turf. His new album captures the same sense of whimsy and pure pop propensity that was once your specialized domain. By combining irrepressible charm, enough hooks to outfit a fishing fleet and a backing cast full of marquee names (the Decemberists, Rosanne Cash, Peter Buck and Scott McCaughey among them), Harding's crafted 15 sumptuous songs as memorable as they are melodic.
That's obvious early on, in the perky, propulsive lilt of "Captain Courageous" and "Uncle Dad," the cozy sway of "The Colloquy of Mole & Mr. Eye," in the beautiful ballads "Good News (& Bad News)" and "The World in Song," the bittersweet bliss of "The Way We Weren't" and the weary observations ruminating through "There's a Starbucks (Where the Starbucks Used to Be)." Harding's adept at melding a simple slice of life with irresistible refrains, and that's what allows The Sound of His Own Voice to soar ever so sweetly.
DOWNLOAD: "Captain Courageous," "Uncle Dad" LEE ZIMMERMAN
