Still all I got is love for you

I've missed you, LTF-ers! Life got crazy for a bit there, but I'm back. And there's so much wonderful music to talk about.

Let's start with Tyler James's fantastic It Took the Fire. Gorgeous 70s-style, soul-infused pop straight out of Nashville.

According to James's MySpace page, the album was recorded on a piano once played by Elvis. Like fellow vintage soul-pop-folk songstress Diane Birch (more on her later), the sound is both authentic and fresh at the same time, and the sound is appealingly organic and analog-sounding in a digital world. You can practically hear the needle drop at the beginning of the record.

An early standout track is the phenomenal "All I Got." Check out this live in-studio recording using only an old-school Casio keyboard for accompaniment:



PS. Thanks Paste Sampler!

Stay Humble

Nashville singer/songwriter Tyler James hasn't released his debut album yet, so now is a great time to start loving him, while you can still see him in tiny, intimate college venues.

I mean, seriously, check out his list of influences:

"bob dylan, paul simon, paul mccartney, joni mitchell, rainer marie rilke, nick drake, neil young, tom waits, the band, woody allen, jaoa gilberto, bill withers, randy newman, david bowie, mark kozelek, wilco, beck, four tet, jesus christ"

Does it get any better than that? Not in my opinion.

Visit his MySpace page. Or better yet, watch this excellent short film that follows him on tour and chronicles a day in the life of a Nashville singer/songwriter who is working on his first album. The song is "Stay Humble." And I love it.