234. SPECTRAL LINES by Josh Ritter

One of my favorite contemporary singer songwriters (previously covered here and here) is out with a new record for 2023, though I hesitate to call it a record - it's more of a meditation. The pandemic changed him (as, I'm sure, it did all of us) as did the death of his mom from ovarian cancer. This lead to a much more subdued and introspective album with very sparse arrangements. That's not to say that there's not a banger track on the album, but go into this one with a slightly different mindset than you normally would for a Josh Ritter record.

My recommendations are bookended by album opener and closer, 'Sawgrass' and 'Someday' (which pays homage to Tommy James and the Shondells' 'Crimson and Clover'), respectively, with the upbeat 'For Your Soul' serving as the PB & J in the middle.

By the way, as noted in my previous post / newsletter, keep an eye out for the occasional single song post - I won't be sending out emails for these one offs so be sure to check out my social media presence every now and then - that's where I'll be posting those nuggets. You can find links on my website.