Desert Car
American Standard Time, 2022
8/10
An artist with a penchant for folk-rock, the singer-songwriter and guitarist Ac Sapphire is surrounded by some excellent help for these diverse 11 tunes.
“Stick And Poke Tattoo” opens the listen with Sapphire’s warm, expressive pipes alongside the soulful climate that benefits from Ryan Erskine’s fluid drumming, and “Jesus Are You There” follows with calm, folk-rock tendencies that truly allow for the soaring vocals to shine amid Lynx DeMuth’s emotive piano.
Further on, “Bonsai” burns slow with a poetic, bare quality, while “Thrift Store” employs Aroyn Davis’ bass and Harlan Steinberger’s drums for the crunchier indie-rock album highlight.
Approaching the end, “Thirty Five Millimeter Camera” enlists Nikita Sorokin’s stirring violin and Sapphire’s booming voice to the atmospheric folk nods, and “Full Moon” exits with a swirling, dreamy piano focused finish that’s steeped in eloquent, timeless songwriting.
Sapphire’s got a voice you won’t soon forget, and her nostalgic hybrid of pop, indie, soul and folk sure does make for a charming listen.
Travels well with: Anna Tivel- The Question; Sunny War- Simple Syrup