Singer/Songwriter Collin Herring (Official / Myspace) has spent years living in Ft. Worth, California and Austin where he has played clubs and garnered a good bit of praise from his peers as a thoughtful, insightful artist. He has also spent a good bit of time in rehab and suffering through a divorce, experiences that has surely given him fuel for the creative fires that burn throughout his 4 excellent full-length records. In fact, “Punches”, a duet with Kathleen Edwards from 2008 was likely my favorite song for the entire year, was born out of the destructive relationship that brought about his divorce. 

Herring’s latest release, Ocho, is a concise 8 song collection, produced by indie-mastermind Will Johnson (the leader of Centro-matic is also the Monsters of Folk drummer, Patterson Hood’s touring guitar player, Telegraph Canyon’s producer, and even Jason Molina’s duo partner) that mostly eschews the harder-rocking vibes that were more prevalent on Herring’s previous albums for a more deliberate, delicate pace. That isn’t to say that Ocho is a soft, ballad-laden lullaby, it’s far from. Ben Roi Herring, Collin’s father is a pedal-steel master and gives a bulk of the songs a sweet touch that enables many people to conveniently label Herring’s sound as “country”. ”Passed Away” rips some power chords and effectively rocks out near the album’s close. It is the album’s opening number, “Nothing’s Good”, that truly captures Herring’s strength. When he simply sings “Nothing’s wrong, but nothing’s good“, there is a profound sense of emptiness amidst normalcy. If you are a fan of Matthew Ryan, then adding Herring’s work to your collection is a must. His poetry, robed in rock with a slight spark of twang continues to be an impressive combination.

LISTEN: Collin Herring “Nothing’s Good”

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Living near Denton TX, it isn’t exactly hard for a music-lover to be intimately familiar with the name and work of Will Johnson. The band he is perhaps most well-known for, Centro-matic, is a North Texas icon. He may be spending more time in our state’s capital these days, but that doesn’t keep us from claiming him as our own. The guy has been busy. He played lead guitar for Patterson Hood supporting Hood’s solo album. After that, he has toured as the drummer for the much ballyhooed Monsters of Folk. Now, he and his buddy, Magnolia Electric Company’s Jason Molina, have released a pretty solid disc of mellow-indie gold.

Stephen M. Duesner, who happens to be one of the best writers going today,didnt really care much for the self-titled album. While I have enjoyed the disc, a couple of his points are valid. Duesner informs readers that anyone who is unfamiliar with the work of Johnson and/or Molina shouldn’t use this disc as a primer for their other works. Fair enough, I agree. He also says that the track, “Twenty Cycles to the Ground” is the album’s most accessible track, and I agree with that as well. Regardless, I think the differences between this album and the albums from their back catalogs is where the value lies. When you have two talented artists performing together, why create a mish-mash of reheated material? Molina & Johnson succeeds in bringing something new to their fans who have no problem with the fellas branching out a bit.

LISTEN: Molina & Johnson “Twenty Cycles to the Ground”

Telegraph Canyon is one big happy family with a great CD on the way soon.

I haven’t done one of these in a few weeks, so what the heck? Tons of good stuff around the Dallas/Ft. Worth (and beyond) area. Here are a  few that have caught my ear that I think you’ll like, regardless of where you are from:

Nicholas Altobelli - To the surprise of many, this area has quite the collection of quality folk artists. Altobelli’s self-released disc, Waiting for the Flowers to Bloom is an elegant but raw gem that showcases Altobelli’s tailor-made-for-folk vocal performance. Go to his Myspace page to find out how you can get his music for free.

Heatrstring Stranglers - Another great example of acoustic, rootsy excellence from Dallas’ neighbor to the north, Denton. Check out this podcast that features not only the Stranglers, but many of Denton’s other fine acts.

Dust Congress - This group boasts members that have played or currently play in many of the areas better acts, including Pinebox Serenade, who I featured on the last DFW area mix. On the heels of their recent release, Regurgitate Sunshine State, these guys have been touring quite a bit. Trippy and experimental, the imagery of the lyrics shine through. Visit them at their offical website for some video and audio.

Telegraph Canyon - After a successful SXSW, these guys are on the verge of releasing their full length, The Tide and the Current (Spune). The disc, produced by Will Johnson, has been getting good buzz around here, and I really liked what I heard when they streamed the album a couple of weeks ago.