2017's
Canyons of the Mind
saw
Andrew Combs
hewing closely to the sepia-toned '70s singer/songwriter architecture of his previous works. Part outlaw and part coffeehouse crooner,
Combs
' efficacy as a modern countrypolitan torchbearer is on full display with the arrival of
Ideal Man
, a compelling 11-track set that looks to the cosmic country stylings of
Lee Hazlewood
for inspiration. Recorded live in the studio in Brooklyn with producer
Sam Cohen
(
Kevin Morby
,
Benjamin Booker
),
commences with the fuzzed-out "Stars of Longing," which sees longtime collaborators
Dom Billet
(drums) and
Jerry Bernhardt
(guitarist/keyboardist/bassist) laying down a propulsive net of sound that helps elevate
'
Walt Whitman
-esque declaration of self into the upper reaches of the atmosphere.
The Everly Brothers
/
Cactus Blossoms
-inclined title track strikes a more somber, though no less sanguine tone ("I envy the drunken poet in a fitful of rage/mind pried wide open/his heart on the page"), while the languid and significantly more settled "Like a Feather" evokes the sunset balladry of
Glen Campbell
. Elsewhere,
radiates warmth on the country-soul confection "Hide & Seek," channels keyboard-heavy '80s AOR on the syrupy smooth "Born Without a Clue," and delivers a spooky Twin Peaks-ian torch song with "The Stone." He wraps things up with the heartfelt "Golden," an aptly named slice of late-summer light inspired by the birth of his daughter. Working with a handful of talented writers including
Joe Henry
Kenny Childers
Jeff Trott
, and
Dylan LeBlanc
has crafted another remarkably solid collection of songs that look to the past without succumbing to the questionable weight of nostalgia. ~ James Christopher Monger