The Nature of Jose Gonzalez

Jose Gonzalez' previous LP Veneer is still entrenched in my top 5 from 2005, led by the boisterous single "Crosses". If these two songs and the above cover are any indication, the next album might even be an improvement. "Down the Line" picks up where "Crosses" left off, a highly percussive gallop of a song. Jose's sound is like a modern antiquity, not unlike a Ray LaMontagne. They're almost trapped in the wrong time, old-fashioned sound, but more passionate. Gonzalez' heavy fingerpicking and layered vocals are signature, his melodies addicting. The sound just dissolves over your ears like eroding sand and seeps into those little cracks. You can't get him out of your head after that.

Listen:
Down the Line
Killing for Love
[from In Our Nature (out 9.25)|pre-order]