Naps & Nightmares

Having departed Denver and away from the folk-rock duo the Kirkpatrick Project, singer-songwriter Wes Kirkpatrick re-assembled his life in Chicago and recorded his solo debut album, 2011’s Naps & Nightmares. The songs are haunted by the unfamiliarity of the new environs. Songs such as “Home,” “Chicago” and “Where You Are” are detailed with Kirkpatrick’s growing experience. The album’s production keeps things in perspective, leaving clean lines for Kirkpatrick to get from point to point. It is, after all, his earnest vocals that draw the listener into his tales. Touches of strings and percussion, alongside humble harmonies, allow these songs to expose themselves without pretensions. A tune as evocative of hope and anxiety and wonder as “Waiting By the Window” needs little else to state its case. The budget blues of “Karma” ends things on an economical note. Kirkpatrick doesn’t waste words, notes or fancy frills. He’s close to the earth at all times.