The rural troubadour, Joel Baker, pours the sublimity of his surrounds into his Americana discography with the kind of reverence for the genre that makes his humbly euphonic works instantly feel like home. From a small town in Southern Iowa comes his latest single, Searching (for your song), a folk-oriented Americana release carrying the vocal purity of Neil Young through an accordantly rich, acoustic-guitar-driven arrangement.
The track confronts you with the reckoning of seeing your inner flaws reflected in someone else’s eyes, and feeling like less of a man as a result. Against an upbeat melody, the lyrical resonance becomes even more powerful, almost confrontational through the juxtaposition, as the finger-picked guitar notes sing as much as Joel Baker himself, creating a duet with his own strings. There is no theatrical self-pity here, only the bruising clarity of someone admitting where the mirror has hurt.
Baker’s acoustic approach has long been rooted in alternative tunings across six-string, 12-string and baritone guitars, giving his work the Laurel Canyon glow associated with Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, while the modern Americana warmth of Dawes also lingers nearby. After Ready to Begin and Carry On, he is preparing to release his third album, On Our Way, with its title track, co-written with Craig Willoughby, recently earning a Josie Award nomination.
Searching (for your song) is now available on all major streaming platforms, including Spotify.
Review by Amelia Vandergast
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