CD’s I am Diggin’ Right Now: Joseph Arthur & Brandi Carlile.

CD’s I am Diggin’ Right Now is a occasionally occurring series where I casually highlight some discs (new and old) that I think you might like, without boring you with an overly-wordy, metaphor-filled “review” that I often like to bestow upon some other discs

Joseph Arthur & The Lonely Astronauts – Temporary People

Joseph Arthur has been one of those sturdy, trusty and recently, prolific artists that continues to produce compelling material.  In his latest LP (he has released 4 EP’s this year alone), Arthur fills each track with as much sound and frenzy as the cuts can handle. The energy created doesn’t distract from the writing, however, as it is as poetic as ever.  Even the slower numbers, such as “Say Goodbye” avoid the “guy and a guitar” cliche’s thanks to the dreamy, atmospheric guitar swirling the lyrics together without ever demolishing the vocals.  I particularly enjoy Arthur’s chameleon-like vocals.  Certain tracks have him possessing the loose and acrobatic yelps of Mick Jagger (“Say Goodbye”), the smoky, raspy and harmless growl of Ryan Adams, and even the morose monotone of Nike Cave (“Good Friend”). After going through this disc more than a couple of times, I realized that there isn’t one track that is in need of the skip button. Solid disc from a solid performer.

Brandi Carlile -Live in Boston (I-tunes EP)

The question that gets asked about Brandi Carlile often is:“Is She Country?  Is She Rock?  Is She Folk?”.  Well, you can stop, cuz all three are right.  In a short (even by EP standards) 4 song set, Carlile ably proves why she doesn’t belong in one neat and tidy genre.  “Have You Ever” dances lightly across the stage with acoustic guitar being the chief companion to Carlile’s voice, which displays a slight, but pleasing roughness that gives each track a bit of heart that even her excellent studio discs could use more of. She does cover “Folsom Prison Blues”, and she doesn’t murder it per se, but I still get a big ol’ question mark over my head when I try to figure out why such a predictable, yet practically sacred choice gets picked for a recording.  I wouldn’t say that’s exactly a revolutionary pick as that song has likely been covered more than friggin’ Freebird.  Just as in her burgeoning career, the biggest hit on this EP is easily “The Story”. While it has been played a ton and been featured in more than it’s share of commercials and CW dramas, it is an amazing song, and the grit of her road-worn voice and the explosion of guitars and drums that bring it all home near the end of the track are even more gripping as Carlile absolutely lets ‘er vocal rip with passion when it all comes together. Nice little nugget for fans that have everything else from Carlile’s catalog.