Good Day No Rain

Album Review

The former lead singer of Gathering Field, Pittsburgh native Bill Deasy has been through the major-label wringer, and has emerged with his second solo record, Good Day No Rain, on his own Bound to Be label. Sounding like a folkier Matthew Sweet, Deasy has a world-weary voice, and his lyrics have the feel of a wise and wounded romantic walking in a rainstorm. That's not bad, mind you, when you can do it as well as this guy does. With huge hooks, songs like "It's All Right There," the orchestrated "Blue Sky Grey," and the funky shuffle of "In My Head" all demonstrate the hand of a skillful writer adept at hitching a sincere, soul-searching tone to easily infectious melodies. Sensitive singer/songwriters are a dime a dozen, but really good ones are a rarity. Bill Deasy is the real deal. In a perfect world, you'd already know this.