Regular Columnists

Artist: Tim Prince
Album: Angel Songs
Label: Lost Cat Records
Website: http://LostcatRecords.com
Genre: Americana
Sounds Like: Dylan, Tom Waits
Technical Grade: 8/10
Production/Musicianship Grade: 8/10
Commercial Value: 6/10
Overall Talent Level: 8/10
Songwriting Skills: 7/10
Performance Skill: 8/10
Best Songs: Cold Living, Weatherman, Madder Than Me
CD Review:

Tim Prince.  Say it with me.  Tim Prince.  Plan on hearing that name again.  And again.  And again.  This versatile Englishman has a winner with his first release, “Angel Songs”.  From the hooky, pop “Weatherman” which, by the way, is so catchy that 10, 11, and 12-year olds can sing along the first time they hear it, to the gut-wrenching “Letter From Clarke County Jail”, Prince strikes whichever chord he’s aiming for.  If he wants you to cry, you’ll cry; if he wants you to bop along, you, my friend, will bop.

If you listen to music regularly, you know that there are times when you know what’s coming in a song you’ve never heard before, be it a line, a chord progression, a melody.  Tim Prince, happily, avoids most of those predictabilities; while I did have a couple brief moments of déjà vu when I seemed to know exactly where he was headed, I was more often than not surprised at the musical twists and turns.  The playing and singing are flawless, the production is perfect; nothing heavy or overstated, it all fits into the vein of Americana, even though Prince paints with a much broader brush.  He can’t be pigeonholed; the obvious influences are the usual singer/songwriter suspects, think Dylan et al, (not that there’s anything at all wrong with that) but think outside the box a bit also; think what would have happened if, say, Lennon and Tom Waits hooked up to do a project.  As I said, the influences are somewhat obvious, but there is nothing derivative; this is all fresh, original stuff.

Do yourself a huge favor – go to LostcatRecords.com and order this cd.  And while you’re online, head on over to YouTube and watch the video for the leadoff cut from the CD, “Cold Living”. Tremendous!   This is a cd that’s definitely going into my rotation.