Adam Salsman [dot] com

In recent history, two albums have found their way onto my truly elitist “Desert Island Records” list. Joe Strummer’s Streetcore, and this album, Griffin House’s Lost & Found.

And, yes, it *is* that good.

Remember, “Along time ago in a blog entry far, far away,” I was praising Glen Phillips work while noticeably ignoring Kim Richey and Griffin House? Yeah, I’m still sorry for that. And that’s not an offense against Glen.

Griffin House masterfully crafts beautiful, realistic, emotional songs, all wrapped in his acoustic guitar and bundled up in his wonderful voice.

Does it sound like I’m tripping over myself to give this guy praise? Well, it should. I honestly feel he’s that good, and after having seen him solo and live recently, my feelings were completely confirmed.

Any way, the album. 11 tracks, just shy of an hour. 100% wonderful. Sorry, there I go again.

Outside of saying “the whole album,” some excellent tracks include “Ah Me” (even if it deals with a crumbling relationship, it’s musically brilliant), “Waterfall” (which has found some commercial success, no pun intended, for oral-b), “The Way I Was Made” (a pride-inducing tune which traces his origins back to his grandparents), and “New Day” (which just slowly builds to this beautiful, optimistic ending).

In the end: I could trip over myself for another hour and a half singing this guy’s praise, but I’ll just leave it at “I think most anyone would, could, and should enjoy this album. On repeat.”

On the web: There are a few shows of the Weekly Review Traveling Roadshow (House, Richey, Phillips) on archive.org. This one is the best of them.

Also available are photos from his concert at Harpers Ferry, in Allston, Ma. on my website: Griffin House photos @ AdamSalsman[dot]com.

Technorati Tagged: Griffin House | Acoustic | Desert Island Album | 2004

Another Rock N Roll crush is my Scottish heartthrob, Ms. KT Tunstall.

On the heels of her wildly successful, awesome, amazing, and wonderful disc Eye to the Telescope, KT goes the more acoustic route, doing an “Unplugged”-style disc comprised of 10 tracks. It’s fairly standard fair for Ms. KT, but she handles it well.

Tunstall throws us a few ropes with the inclusion of some as-of-yet unreleased songs, including my personal favourite, Ashes. Change also manages to pick up some haunting atmosphere done on the acoustic guitar.

In the end: Sure, standard fair from Tunstall is still far above most of what we have these days, but it still feels fairly standard. It’s a great way to get some new material out to the fans without doing a full album, but it really doesn’t help to understand the direction she’s going. If you like KT, you’ll adore this.

Technorati Tagged: KT Tunstall | Rock | Acoustic | 2006

I’ve got a back log of things to report on, so let’s start with a pair of acoustic albums. First up, my darlin’ from Philly, Ms. Trisha O’Keefe.

After picking up her All the Honest Liars, listening to it, and then saying my peace. Well, sometimes people listen.

If you recall, I said:
“Not having seen her live yet, I don’t know if her look matches with the rock sound she strives for, but listening to it, I feel like she should be accompanied by just an acoustic guitar more often than she is.”

And, lo and behold, Live!, who’s greatest failure is it is only 6 tracks long. Over the course of the tracks (recorded at the Tin Angel), Trisha manages to turn an acoustic guitar into a sprawling rock conerct while still maintaining the intimacy of a coffee shop. In my mind, it takes a great talent to do that.

Take a listen to Never Enough, Nobody’s Love, and Drowning Me Slowly for a good sampling of this gal’s range.

In the end: Acoustic fans will love it. Rock fans will love it. Anyone who likes Trisha, of course, will love it.

On the web: The EP is only 6 bucks on iTunes. Or, if DRM frightens you, hit up ItsAboutMusic.com and get it in wide open and clear Em-Pee-Three. Also, only 6 bucks. You won’t be let down.

Technorati Tagged: Trisha O’Keefe | Small Artists | Rock | Acoustic