Ari Shine

After touring relentlessly behind his last album Ghost Town Directory and receiving plaudits from sources like No Depression, Americana UK and Big Takeover, Ari Shine released Songs Of Solomon, his most honest and rugged batch of songs yet. It made the Grammy ballot for Americana album of the Year.

Reuniting with Ghost Town Directory producer Noah Shain (Dead Sara, Skrillex, Fool’s Gold), the pair holed up in Echo Park and recorded the twelve songs that make up Songs Of Solomon. Marty Rifkin, a frequent collaborator of Bruce Springsteen and Ryan Adams, played pedal steel and lap steel on seven tunes.

Sonically, the record may surprise those only familiar with the singer’s more raucous past. The haunted Latin Playboys like lament “Least I Tried” is replete with Morricone style atmospherics while “Pauper’s Grave” is something akin to Zeppelin III meets Chris Whitley. Uniting all the tracks is Shine’s gutsy vocal approach which ranges from sandpaper yowls to whispered asides. He also bangs his guitar like he means it, anchoring a rocker like “Don’t Know” and the Nick Lowe style songcraft of “Goddamn Glorious”. Packed with memorable tunes and overflowing with heart, Songs of Solomon is Ari Shine’s richest and most realized work yet.