You’ve got to start with a good composition. After that it’s up to the musicians and arrangers. Here are two cases in point.
Singer/songwriter/guitarist Elsten Torres fronts a stripped down band with Brendan Buckley/perk/vibes/key/g and Joe Ayoub/b along with a plethora of various guests on this indie-sounding confessional. Torres’ voice is earnest and earthy, and his vocals are vulnerable. The songs are reminiscent of the style of John Hiatt or Kenny Rankin from the 70s; unpretentious and natural, feeling more personal than musical.
Speaking of the 70s, disco era survivors and guitarists John Batdorf and James Lee Stanley came across a clever idea a couple years ago by putting out bluesy acoustic guitar versions of tunes made famous by The Rolling Stones. It came off amazingly well, and this one is just as good. If there is a weak link, it’s the expected “popular” tunes by the Glimmer Twins, such as “Honky Tonk Woman” and “Sympathy for the Devil.” What wins you over is the wonderfully hip take of “Get Off My Cloud” and the amazingly turn of disco into a back porch take of “Miss You.” Both gents have voices and musical attitudes that make each song feel much more American than the British Invaders, making “Tumbling Dice” feel like something from the Cumberland Gap, while “Time Is On My Side” could have been from a fun night at McCabes. A thoroughly enjoyable guilty pleasure!
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