B-Sides and Confessions, Vol. 1

It's a good sign that Jeff Black has lent a helping hand to an A-list of folkies including John Prine and Iris Dement. Like these performers, he has an unusual voice, good material, and superb taste. With his rough and gruff vocals it wouldn't be surprising to hear Black compared to Tom Waits, but unlike the booziest of singers, he can sing it smooth when he chooses and never tries on the "I've just crawled out of the gutter" persona. Like any worthwhile singer-songwriter, Black pens his own material. Unlike many poets with guitars, however, his songs, like "Slip" and "Holly Roller," never sounds like he's busy searching for his inner child or just ended another relationship. Instead, his lyrics lean toward the elliptical, giving them a literary feel. In "Gold Heart Locket" he sings, "all night long/ I've been riding riding/ I should have been there by now/ but these old country roads/ got a lot of deep holes/ and the rain keeps pouring down," slowly warming up to his theme of loss. These songs are brought to fullness by simple arrangements and a straightforward production. Piano, guitar, and an occasional banjo are backed by bass and drums, giving Black a folk sound with a solid bottom end. The only snag on B-Sides and Confessions is that most of the songs are fairly slow paced, which causes the last two-thirds of the album to blend together. The album nonetheless succeeds in offering a singer-songwriter effort that doesn't fall into the usual singer-songwriter clichés. ~ Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr., Rovi