Rocky Votolato - Makers

If you like Jack Johnson and Sufjan Stevens, you will want to look into Texas-born, Northwest transplant Rocky Votolato’s latest release, Makers. Pulling together nostalgia and longing, Votolato softly takes you along for an acoustic ride that reflects both of his environmental influences. “White Daisy Passing” opens the record with unexpectedly beautiful harmonies and an ambling tone fitting for a rainy Saturday afternoon. Sounding a lot like a single, the nicely produced “Tennessee Train Tracks” momentarily breaks up the low-tech vibe that covers the rest of the album while holding onto the overall tone. One thing you’ll notice immediately about Votolato is his skill as a lyricist. At once simple and complex, lines like “Love’s a train wreck you’re a mistake” (“Portland Is Leaving”) and “No I’m not doing alright / I’m just as stupid and desperate as I’ve always been” (“The Night’s Disguise”) resonate with painful astuteness. Even when it seems like the words might not fit easily, Votolato’s cadence makes it all come together within the spaces of his thoughtful melodies. Things dip a little toward the end of Makers, unfortunately, with the song “Goldfield.” It’s a little too plodding and repetitive. And no matter how hard I try, I can’t sit still through “Tinfoil Hats.” And I couldn’t even now tell you what it was about. But Votolato pulls it out in the end finishing strongly with “Where We Left Off,” a track that would have been perfect for the end of film – think 70s film director/auteurs, the likes of Scorcese, Altman, Bogdonavich. (Ok, so Makers doesn’t actually end there; the title track comes after to close the record, but it shouldn’t have.) Makers can easily be compared to Illinoise, but I offer that the former seems more organic, more rural. While Stevens’ record recalls a certain haunting bleakness of the Midwesten city skyline, Votolato’s music is so pure that you can almost smell the dusty roads of Texas, almost see wide open expanses and hear rain padding down on foggy forests around Puget Sound. [www.rockyvotolato.com]