There's a feeling one gets, especially if you were raised in the '70s, when an old James Taylor song is played on the radio. Although completely unacceptable in the hip pockets of the globe, Taylor was a true craftsman and a virtually flawless storyteller. And if there's an artist that singer/songwriter Stephen Inglis recalls, it's none other than Mr. Taylor himself.
Inglis has crafted an album of laidback, comforting acoustic pop that soothes the temples, relaxes the heart, and makes you want to breathe in the spring air. In the rat race of modern society, that's actually not an easy task, but Inglis' pleasing vocals, clear lyrics, and skilled, dramatic guitar playing are soaked in good vibrations.
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There's a country flavor in Inglis' folk preferences, especially noted in "Dusty Road" and the heartbreakingly pretty "Blues for Tonight." More than that, there's a cinematic quality to many of these tunes. The wind-swept "Stranded" and the image-evoking "Something About October" should be on movie soundtracks.
The record is spare in its instrumentation but filled to the rim with naked emotion. Whatever your taste in music, it's hard not to be moved by such songs as "Mele for Makana" and "Swingset 'Neath the Stars," a loving recollection of childhood.
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