Made Of Strings
New Neighborhood, 2019
10/10
It’s hard to believe that this is Greg Felden’s first formal release, cause the guitarist, singer-songwriter manages to resemble some of the most legendary folk and Americana artists past and present on Made Of Strings.
“Every Time” starts the album with Felden’s smooth and intimate pipes against keys and acoustic guitar as he delivers warm, upbeat Americana, and “When The Change Comes” follows with breezy melodies and jangly guitars which takes nods to the early days of alt-country.
Felden’s got a knack for storytelling that is captured well in the vivid lyrical imagery of the pedal steel friendly “Man Like Me”, and the emotive “Take You Back Home”, a tune dedicated to Felden’s girlfriend who passed way shortly after this album was finished, is another example of sublime songwriting matched with thoughtful wordplay.
The second half offers some surprises with the loud rock of “Tell Me What’s Broken”, where organs add greatly to the setting, though it doesn’t take long for the rootsy feelings to return on “Better This Way”. “Ghosts” ends the album in a sparse setting where a haunting backdrop complements the raw beauty and heartfelt delivery from Felden.
An extremely sincere and soulful debut with strong, memorable songwriting, while the genres that Felden floats around are quite populated these days, his voice and skill put him right at the top of the long list. This is truly a record you won’t want to miss out on.
Travels well with: Ryan Adams- Demolition; Rocky Votolato- Burning My Travels Clean