Here’s something you might dig. Hangdog Hearts. This guy is a one man band who plays his own songs mainly out of a country blues bag with a hint of gospel. That’s the live set up anyway. The CD features upright bass, drums, trumpet and cello with mastermind of the project Austin Stirling on vocals, guitar and banjo. Much as I enjoyed the variety of textures offered up by the accompanists, it’s the intensity of the one man bad set up I prefer. Austin’s footwork on the percussion is truly impressive.
Bottom line, it’s the songs that carry this thing. Really good songs. The subtitle of the album is “Good ol’ fashioned gentleman’s music”. But that description gives the impression of stuffy old men and that is not the case at all. To my ear there’s this sort of rugged foreboding feel to these songs that’s not all that gentlemanly. but what do I know? Never been much of a gentleman.
