In reference to Dear Companion, a nice checklist of contemporary acoustic Americana by [cellist] Ben Sollee & [guitarist] Daniel Martin Moore, DB emailed me:

"Also kinda like the ben sollee album...in a fresh laundry w eeextra downy kind a way...."

Ha! Listening to it right now, and I feel like I'm in a commercial, hanging white sheets from a clothesline with a big smile on my face. Not that that's a bad thing. Seems to me these Kentuckians (produced by fellow Kentuckian Jim James from My Morning Jacket) write pretty thoughtful songs. And they kick it into gear just enough to remind me that the breeziness is not for the sake of being inoffensive, but because it comes from their specific musicultural (I think I just made that word up?) background.

Bonus points for Mr. Sollee's political activism. Among other things, Wikipedia tells me he did a summer tour last year on his bicycle... WITH HIS CELLO ON HIS BACK... to encourage greener living. Like whoa.

Ben Sollee & Daniel Martin Moore - 'Try'