Self Titled is a strong debut that separates Damion Suomi from the crowded singer-songwriter genre. Possessing a sincere and confident voice, Suomi is a talented songwriter and lyricist who finds a lot of inspiration from drinking whiskey. Such subject matter is not unique but his exuberant, stomping songs are good enough to make the theme seem novel. There’s drinking as cynical seduction on the gritty “What a Wonderful Game,” drinking as advice on the raucous “San Francisco,” and drinking as entertainment on “Sunday Morning.” Even the tracks that don’t overtly mention imbibing are about relationships and romance from a drunken perspective. Some of the lyrical content can be dark and bitter but these mid-tempo slices of Americana are so full of energy that the songs sink in effortlessly. The other musicians on the album pitch in nicely, in particular the electric guitar, pedal steel, and fiddle, and the whole album feels like it was recorded an Irish bar in front of an appreciative audience. Self Titled is an earnest and exciting first effort.