Simonettdave - Red Tail [VINYL]

Almost two decades into a prolific career, Dave Simonett still leans into a microphone like he's counting on a stranger. Guitar slung at the ready, he's comfortable but bemused. Whether he's fronting beloved acoustic roots kings Trampled By Turtles or acclaimed side project Dead Man Winter, Simonett has an ideal songwriter's voice--a beautiful but subtle workhorse that's easy to take for granted. But ultimately, he's right to point to his songs, because oh, what songs they are: Conversational and poetic, his lines lilt with aching cadence as they land like phrases someone would actually say. It's art that feels real.Entitled Red Tail, Dave Simonett's new album is a solo outing--his first--that puts a brand new batch of his original nuggets on brilliant display. "There was a special window when I didn't know if I was making an album--I was just going to record some songs," Simonett says. "So there wasn't a lot of weight put on it. The whole thing just felt kind of smooth."Red Tail benefits from that initial freedom from expectations. The eight-song collection is anchored in that same hardy acoustic rock that has made Simonett so beloved around the world, with additional layers of moody sonic dreamscapes that somehow feel both lush and sparse. It feels sacrilegious to suggest pulling Simonett away from his bands that he and we love so much, but if magic like Red Tail is what happens when he carves out slivers of time to create independently, even the most devout TBT and Dead Man Winter fans will beg for more sidebars.