John Doe

John Doe has been making music longer than I've been alive. Over his thirty year career, he's experimented with a variety of styles, playing punk in the seminal L.A. punk bank X, rockabilly-infused country in The Knitters, and [a slightly more pop leaning] alt-country as a solo artist. I must admit that I never listened to any of Doe's musical incarnations until 2005, when he released one of the year's best albums Forever Hasn't Happened Yet, which incidentally enough contained one of the year's best singles "Hwy 5."

Fast forward to the present, Doe just released another great solo record on Yep Roc entitled A Year In The Wilderness. The album is cut much from the same vein as his last. It's full of great melodies that showcase his devastingly weathered voice, not to mention his penchant for writing great female harmonies and heartfelt lyrics. Although it doesn't feature a song as overwhelmly catchy as "Hwy 5," there isn't a weak song on it. My favorites are the sunny little heartbreaker, "The Golden State," and the driving stomper,"Hotel Ghost."

[Myspace] John Doe
[mp3] "The Golden State"