The Coming Tide

A heady blend of New Orleans jazz and country blues, The Coming Tide is as tasty as slow-simmered gumbo. This Michigan native brings an eclectic background to his sophomore album, including academic training, movie scoring experience, and stints as a street busker. This blend of highbrow polish and earthy ambience serves him well as he lays down tracks reminiscent of early Ry Cooder and Maria Muldaur. Singing with an easy Southern-inflected croon, Winslow-King gets able support from Esther Rose’s honeyed vocals and a lively brass section. His deft slide guitar adds extra tang to tunes like the title track (a slip-sliding salute to the Louisiana coast), “Staying in Town” (an ode to the comforts of home), and “You and Me” (a ragtime-ish number with a sweetly romantic glow). “Let ‘Em Talk” and “You Don’t Know Better Than Me” are typical of the album’s sly wisdom and scrappy optimism. Winslow-King’s originals are complemented by such fine cover choices as the gospel-blues standard “Keep Your Lamp Trimmed and Burning” (draped in nicely ragged harmonies) and the Leadbelly murder ballad “Ella Speed.”