Customer Reviews

Dear Companion

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Daniel Martin Moore (who hails from the Northern Ky suburbs of Cincinnati) created a huge buzz in this city when he scored a label signing with Sub Pop simply on the strength of a demo. It lead to his sparse but beautiful 2008 album "Stray Age". Fast forward to 2010, and now comes this album, a collaboration with Ben Sollee, also from Kentucky.

"Dear Companion" (11 tracks; 37 min.) brings Americana music in its best form. The songs' writing credit are pretty much evenly divided between Daniel Martin Moore and Ben Sollee (who himself has an excellent 2008 album "Learning To Bend"). The album starts off with an urgent "Something, Somewhere, Sometime", followed by a mesmerizing "My Wealth Comes To Me", in which you feel the Appalachian traditions come true all the way. "Needn't Say a Thing" is a beautiful ballad. The title track is a rousing track, just a romp. My favorite track is "Try" (written by Ben Sollee), a heart-wrenching track. But truth be told, there are no weak tracks on this album. A truly outstanding throwback to the best of Americana-Appalachian music, and at 37 min. this album just flashes by in no time. Please note that the album is produced by none other than fellow Kentuckian Jim James (working under his "Yim Yames" moniker), of My Morning Jacket and Monsters of Folk.

I had the good fortune of catching these guys in concert this past weekend here in Cincinnati. They brought most of this album's tracks (with a full band, including a drummer and extra-guitarist) and what a delight it was. Not to mention the in-between song banter (Ben: "We met about a year ago on MySpace, and things went from there"). Great, great album. If you wonder where you can here these guys, check out WOXY (BAM! The Future of Rock and Roll), the internet-only station that brings the best indie-music in the country. Meanwhile, "Dear Companion" is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

The lyrics set just perfectly on the sparse strings. It's not an album about coal miners in the 19th century; it's not nostalgic. I especially love "Only a Song" and the line "And on the horizon, I see windmills sprouting up in rows. There's young folks farming and a few that're gonna vote."

I listen to this CD when I'm happy, when I'm dejected about the state of the world, and when I'm drinking coffee in the mornings. It offers something for every part of my soul.

I have tears in my eyes when listening to Try, and it's not the only track on this album to make me give pause. This album is filled with gems, from the beautiful introduction of Something, Somewhere, Sometime, to the driving rhythms and banjo riffs of Dear Companion. I am a recent Ben Sollee fan, and, although Sollee's last album, Learning to Bend, is great, this album packs more energy and is more spiritually moving. I HIGHLY recommend it!