There’s something about the DIY all-American dreamer that I find endearing. Kyle Andrews is losing his mind in Cleveland (and Philadelphia and Tennessee apparently as he seems to fair on the nomadic side) and if he keeps putting out albums like Amos in Ohio, he might someday be hailed at the level of a Jason Falkner, whose lo-fi singer/songwriter pop sensibilities have captivated me often.
On Amos in Ohio, Kyle reminisces about girls and doing laundry in lagoons and there is a real Pete Yorn feel to the vocals (best not to ask me about my guilty pleasure fixation with Pete Yorn). Live, however, the vocals reminded me a bit more of Ryan Adams. Being that Kyle is originally from Chicago, the show was a stripped down family affair, which I enjoyed. It had the same feeling of closeness at one of my favorite shows ever, seeing Mercury Rev surrounded by their friends and family when they played Buffalo, NY’s Showplace Theater after their release of Deserter’s Songs. Singing to perhaps people who had known him all his life, Kyle even had a friend who he’d played Little League with him do some harmonizing on a couple of songs. I’d really like to see Kyle Andrews play somewhere like Schubas with someone on keyboards and drums to bring out some of the nice undertones in his recorded songs but this was still a really nice set; the highlight of which for me was “Give up the Anger,” which may appear on his next release.
Download: Kyle Andrews - "Give Up The Anger"
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