Willy Porter
Dog-Eared Dream

Local radio station WXRT has been playing songs from this one for awhile. It recently got picked up by a national label and is now widely available. The single Angry Words grew on me, and I had the fortunate opportunity to catch Willy Porter and his band opening for Blues Traveler at a free show back in March.

Porter leans heavily on acoustic music, although there is some electric guitar thrown in for good measure. The acoustic guitar is clearly Porter's instrument, and he is heavily inspired by bluegrass. Porter's picking is flawless, and he sings his songs of broken relationships with a voice that is sweet and pure. The prettiest song on the album is a tune called Watercolor, an emotional ballad that is musically perfect. Cool Water captures some of the bluegrass feel of his concerts and ends with a jam that I wish they would have allowed to develop. In fact, the only disappointment is that his bluegrass influences shine much brighter at his live performances and are somewhat restrained on this still excellent debut. I anxiously await a follow-up! 

1 Star:   Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!