new every morning

Album Review

Rock music history is replete with accomplished guitarists who have overcome shyness and vocal limitations to add singing to their repertoires, usually raising their profiles considerably as a result. Dan Craig seems to be an extreme example of this by the evidence of his 2004 album New Every Morning. On track after track, the music is led by forceful guitar playing that sits in the center of the mix, but, with the exception of the instrumental called "Bruce Dickinson," there is also a vocal by Craig that is much lower in the mix. Craig sings — actually, "whispers" is often a better word to describe his vocals — in a hoarse tenor that is reminiscent of Adam Duritz of Counting Crows, though it sometimes makes Duritz sound like Pavarotti in comparison. To the extent that the words can be made out (it helps when Sarah St. Julien joins in), they match the vocal production by being introspective and self-deprecating. But what really matters is the guitar work, which is as assured as the singing is uncertain. In this sense, Craig's model is J.J. Cale, though even Cale places more emphasis on his voice than Craig does.