Dan Blakeslee’s latest album Owed To The Tanglin Wind is fine collection of new fangled twists on the folk and Americana roots music he has become so well respected for. Though it is impossible to categorize Blakeslee into any particular genre or subgenre, he does conjure a lot of the emotive qualities associated with acoustic music and older forms of American music. Yet, he uses those genres more than they use him, forming his own individual songwriting patterns, keeping his genres fresh while adding some edge. A lot of his songs do not follow expected songwriting structures, leaving his listener with a goulash of instrumentation and vocals that moves in unusual patterns
Blakeslee opens his album with “Tattooed Man And The Saint,” a lilting Americana number tastefully flavored with a dangling fiddle melody that feels lifted, an electric guitar line that hits the right soul spot, and just enough percussion to make it all feel full. Blakeslee keeps this one full of emotion, with a forlorn emotion in the backdrop amidst the crying fiddle while his heartfelt vocal expression, hearty and steady, makes its plaintive plea for another time and place. The song moves onto a swifter beat, and it makes one feel like dancing a jig while digging its juicy roots sound.
Blakeslee moves into “Poet On The Porch” with a plucky acoustic guitar backdrop supporting his earnest chirping vocal timbre. Fiddle player Joseph Arnold makes another comely appearance with his bouncing bow, digging right into his melody line then jumping back out with a sweet sound. Brittle acoustic notes dance around the main melodic line and the whole things come together like a charm.
“Sleep Walkin’” finds Blakeslee playing an interesting interval of notes on his acoustic guitar while his fiddler shadows him tenderly in the backdrop. Blakeslee’s voice, ruggedly handsome, has its own special timbre as he describes his rustic travels across the land. With an organ swirl behind him his song becomes one gritty, hearty tapestry of sound. This one inspires the listener’s mind to conjure all sorts of landscapes, feelings, and possible adventures.
Blakeslee offers an eerie, out on the range soundscape on his gripping song “My Lightning Valentino.” With brittle, ringing guitar notes and a spiraling, climbing fiddle line, Blakeslee creates a song as motion filled as the white horse he sings of. Like a white stallion, this tune is full of bucking life, moving from one section to another with a galloping stride. The song is also a beautiful description of a relationship between a man and his horse.
“Along The Mystic” is loaded with gritty acoustic instrument notes, and, combined with Blakeslee’s hearty vocal timbre becomes a moving salute to one of Boston’s most famous water bodies. The river becomes a suggested metaphor for the way life continues even after heartbreak and disappointment. A persistent spirit in this song, conjured by the thoughtfully paced acoustic guitar, makes it enticing, compelling one to follow the motion within the soundscape. The weave of instrumentation here captures it perfectly a man‘s spiritual journey.
Title track “Owed To The Tanglin’ Wind” travels a plucky acoustic guitar route, each chord and note pushing the vocal further along with authority. And that hearty vocal, motivated, traveling at its own special pace, offers a lot of emotive qualities as it describes a man who is lost in the time and space of being stuck on a woman. It is the feeling conjured by this song that makes it stand out.
“Love And Confection” finds Blakeslee singing in a more exuberant vocal approach, hearty vocal and acoustic guitar weaving a strong anthem of love, his painterly descriptions bringing the story to life in the listener’s mind with vivid details and palpable emotions. Likewise, Blakeslee weaves another startlingly real tale of love on “To Count On.” His voice just sings out with heart and strength and conviction, filling the space around his acoustic guitar with folksy aplomb. Blakeslee’s album continues this mode with “Can And Often Do,” making a huge statement with a big, earthy vocal, acoustic guitar, and even whistling the melody.
Blakeslee closes out his album with “Picture In My Wallet,” a folksy ditty he adorns with the silky smooth backing vocals of Jenee Halstead. His guitar playing is starkly beautiful and the two voices above it contrast well with the hearty grit of those guitar notes. Harmony cooing over that melody line reaches a level of art, the three sounds becoming something that feels real in their quaint entanglement.
On this Owed To The Tanglin’ Wind album, Blakeslee has managed to create beautiful songs that play out in his own special way. That these songs stand up on their emotive and musical qualities is impressive enough. That the singer-songwriter puts them together and performs then in unique, unexpected motions and patterns makes them even more of a treasure. Bravo.
