Anthony St. James

Songs Of Anthony St. James

Crotalus, 2021

8/10

Listen to Songs Of Anthony St. James

The debut album from the Baltimore resident and multi-instrumentalist Anthony St. James, the 10 tracks here showcase his personal song craft that takes help from friends to illuminate the hard luck songwriting.

James starts the listen with his gentle piano and acoustic guitar complementing his eloquent, vivid storytelling as Christopher Carithers contributes his warm harmonica, and “Leaving On The Train” follows with Chris Stringer’s fluid electric guitar adding a light bluesy feel to the poetic climate.

At the halfway point, “Down On The Avenue” brings Lovisa Laine’s dreamy backing vocals to the pretty folk landscape, while “Nick’s Cafe” benefits much from Eddie Severn’s mysterious trumpet and Kimberly Rose’s seductive pipes.

“Christmas Parade” and “Mountain State” exit the listen, where the former adds a hint of atmosphere to the calm, introspective album highlight, and the latter brings a soulful quality into the graceful keys, subtle bass and expressive singing from James.

It’s not hard to think of Leonard Cohen, Tom Waits or Billy Bragg when listening to Songs Of Anthony St. James, which I don’t think anyone will have a problem with, and his meshing of folk, Americana, blues, and soul makes for a timeless and absorbing effort.

Travels well with: Mike Stapleton- Mid-Winter Blues; Matt North- Bullies In The Backyard