Winter Clothes
Sunnyside, 2020
9/10
A man of many talents, the New York City artist Brian Cullman is an esteemed writer, musician and producer, and here he collaborates with Jimi Zhivago across a handful of tunes they worked on tirelessly and recorded live with players from The Lumineers, Ry Cooder and Martin Walker, among others.
Cullman starts the listen with the firm acoustic strumming and smooth singing of “Killing The Dead”, which isn’t an ominous as it seems, as groove friendly folk-rock ideas enter the well timed, cinematic drumming, and “Down Down Down” follows with an adventurous spirit of lush and well thought out swamp rock fun.
There’s 10 tracks here and not a dud in the bunch, including the bare but impactful bluesy ballad “Someday Miss You”, as well as the warm and intricate “New Year’s Eve”, where a saxophone adds much to the climate. Elsewhere, “Sleep It Off” shuffles with a vibrant display of retro rock’n’roll as vivid keys sound like it could have been penned in any decade since the ‘60s.
Close to the end, “Wrong Girl” flows with some Americana quality as Cullman’s vocals soar with a breezy appeal, and “Building” exits the listen with a slow burner containing plenty of atmosphere and a dreaminess amid some haunting ideas.
An exceptional effort where no two songs resemble each other that much, Cullman and company deliver mature, rhythmic and varied forms of folk on this exciting and timeless recording.
Travels well with: The Jayhawks- XOXO; The Long Ryders- Psychedelic Country Soul