Josh Ritter/Jackson Browne

[ForeverAutumn]

I've been driving a rental car for the last couple of weeks that was equipped with a satellite radio. One of the stations that I found myself listening to played a lot of Jackson Browne.

This morning, I've been spinning some Josh Ritter at work. It never occured to me, until this morning, how much Ritter sounds like Browne. Even his song writing, at times, resembles Jackson Browne. Here At The Right Time on Animal Years especially sounds like a JB song, now that he's on my mind.

Has anyone else thought that?

[3LB]

Yeah that occured to me, but then again, Jackson Browne has always been a major influence on the furtive, introspective, singer-song-writer. Now if only Josh Ritter could get beat-up by his wife...

Actually, while Browne was all Mr Pensive and Sensative and plush SoCal production values, Ritter is more akin (to my ears anyway), to Tom Waits, Leonard Cohen or Rufus Wainwright and others who lean more towards a more rustic, Dylan-meets-Tinpan Alley sound. I never heard an entire Ritter album start to finish. I remember that followers of Waits have the propensity to put a really plodding or wierd tracks to open albums, and they like to push the WTF envelope a lot. Most of what I've heard of Ritter is the same ready-for-radio stuff I heard from Browne back when or lately, Ryan Adams.

Just to clarify for those not familiar with Ritter, Wainwright or Adams, when I make references to Waits, Dylan or Cohen, its in reference to song writing style, not shitty singing voices

[3LB]

You know, you may need to check out Gomez. I have the latest one, A New Tide, and its right up the same alley, more indie pastiche in its aesthetic. Not that it sounds bad...it actually has great production.

I might add that the lead singer for Gomez has that same rustic rasp that the Ray Lamontagne has, I remember you saying you dug him