A classically trained musician, James Lee Baker fuses influences from acoustic singer-songwriters like David Mead, Ellis Paul, John Gorka, Gregory Alan Isakov, Bob Dylan, and Slaid Cleaves. He embraces open tunings to create an unconventional but welcoming sound and timbre to his playing. Trained briefly by Richard Gilewitz, a renowned fingerstyle guitar player, James Lee’s fingerstyle guitar playing is rich and melodic, pulling listeners into memorable motifs and atmospheres.
Welcome “Home Again”
With a voice of depth, warm, and the nostaligia of darkness; this album opens like velvet and wisdom. Like an old soul, holding back, that simply holds up the best parts of the music. Unstripped and subtle, raw and true, like a pair of your favourite jeans. Here.
While CowTown Blues – blends in the beautiful hip swaying harmonics, tumbleweed, and lust for kicking up some dust. And while the shades might sound like the blues, the playfulness is evident and in full swing. After all, the devil does like in the details.
Track 3 caught my attention. Road trips, weekends, and getaways. Exactly what’s under the pulse of these very fingers. The kinda track that blurs genres and belongs on stereo sound playback radiowaves. It’s definitely made a dent into my playlist.
And just when you thought things get starry-eyed, things become real. A soul-love song. A declaration of purpose. A reckoning. Hope. Faith. The kind of track that buries itself in the most uncomfortable way, breaks hearts and shapes Oscar Winning Cinematic moments we crave and yet fear. The hardest pill to swallow in the most lyrically beautiful composition that once heard becomes unforgettable. Artists dream for tracks like this. And he’s totally got this in a shuddering (never-heard-anything-like-this-before) kind of moment. If I stay here with you will unravel you. Bring humbleness.
Problem is it doesn’t stop with track 4.
If this was to become the last album ever. This one hit wonder is the most carefully crafted composition of life itself.
There are literally tears in my eyes. I’ve never felt so close to the music. A complete compilation of moments, mine, yours, theirs, his, the humanity.
If there was ever an award for authenticity. This should have it in every cord.
Art.
Life.
Sacred.
Everything.
Personified.
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LIFE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE RED CARPET ... 