Alive In The Radio Age
Self-Released, 2023
9/10
Listen to Alive In The Radio Age
The Philadelphia Singer, songwriter and guitarist Jay Carlis returns with a sophomore album, where a handful of local musicians accompany him for the authentic and thoughtful 8 Americana tunes.
The very atmospheric “Your Shadow” leads the listen with Carlis’ mesmerizing strumming and dreamy voice alongside Andy Keenan’s glowing pedal steel and Chuck Staab’s thumping drums, and “Backwards” follows with Nicole Tecce’s soulful backing vocals and Charlie Muench’s precise bass complementing the rugged yet smooth climate.
The middle track belongs to the intimate “Ghost Of Thomas Wolfe”, which welcomes Andrea Weber’s mature cello for the emotive delivery, while “Such A Mystery” is a bit thicker, and benefits from Ross Bellenoit’s firm electric guitar amid Carlis’ bright storytelling.
“Volcanoes And Whales” and “To John Perry Barlow” exit the the listen, where the former is subtly powerful and flows with a haze of poetic songwriting, and the latter finishes with a calm folk tune that recruits Jaron Olevsky and Tecce’s inviting backing vocals
An artist who got his start covering Grateful Dead and Bob Dylan, Carlis is quickly making an impression with his solo work, and parallels to Jason Isbell or Robert Hunter won’t be hard to spot or admire across this excellent 2nd album.
Travels well with: Bannister Effect- A Life I Knew; Cabin Dogs- On The Creek