Joe Coughlin, The Noise

“I put this on during a miserable midnight downpour, and promptly felt the sun on my back, caught whiffs of tall grass and clean air, felt the creaky comfort of a front-porch swing, and settled in for the ride. If you need comparisons, the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack would not be unfair. It’s a nice balance of covers and originals, delivered at just the right temperance, never shy but never overbearing, between which being where so many roots acts fall into the cracks: trying too hard not to try too hard. This one has all the confidence and none of the false bravado, one of those extremely rare jobs that sounds like it’s been here all along. It’s a beaut.” (Joe Coughlin)