In My Time

Moody but not quite dark, Jason McNiff's brand of folky singer/songwriting is something of a throwback to an earlier age in many respects. If you're so inclined, you can hear echoes of several major such talents of the 1960s and early '70s, perhaps most particularly Paul Simon and early Al Stewart, especially in the somewhat breathy vocals. There's some Bob Dylan, too, but McNiff's vocal delivery is simply considerably sweeter than Dylan's, and rather friendlier in tone to boot; some of the songs sound like a less bitter variation on the most acoustic-oriented facets of Dylan's Blood on the Tracks sound. Just because reviewers can easily find vintage names to drop, fortunately, doesn't mean that this compilation — drawing from the three albums McNiff had previously issued, plus four new recordings that appear for the first time here — isn't respectable work on its own merits. The songs are consistently thoughtful without spilling into oversensitivity, reasonably tuneful, occasionally haunting, and always tastefully arranged. The acoustic guitar folk-rock base is embellished by enough electronics, organ, and other textures to keep things interesting, the bashing cover of the Italian folk tune "Bella Ciao" being the biggest surprise.