DAVE RAWLINGS MACHINE
A Friend of a Friend
Who can count Ryan Adams, Gillian Welch and Conor “Bright Eyes” Oberst as their close personal friends? Guitarist/songwriter Dave Rawlings can, and for his latest incarnation as Dave Rawlings Machine, there is more than enough confirmation that Rawlings has adopted a little of each of these artists’ good and bad traits. His unfortunately reed-thin voice will appeal directly to those who love Oberst’s similarly pallid ramblings. Either ol’ Dave seems to long for a simpler time, if his lyrics are to be believed, or he has discerned that today’s roots music consumer wants exactly this kind of lackadaisical, meandering bilge. Dave is a pretty hot guitar picker, but when he misses a few notes pretty obviously here and there, it just adds to the overall rustic feeling. Gillian Welch adds her squeaky little mewl in the right places, making these nine tracks as authentic as the next album of this type which will doubtlessly be released all too soon. (Acony Records, www.aconyrecords.com) Jeff Monk
Winnipeg music & culture since 1989