And the War Came Record Review

Shakey Graves

It took little more than a suitcase kick drum, acoustic guitar, and a dapper hat to transform Alejandro Rose-Garcia into one-man outfit Shakey Graves, the beloved Austin folk peddler who became a live mainstay. His self-produced 2011 debut, Roll the Bones, traveled light, yet unleashed raw bedroom craft that elevated him to the top of the Bandcamp charts. Sophomore album And the War Came retains that bare-bones structure, only nuanced by electric guitar, harmonies, and a minimal production shellac poising the hometown hero at the edge of something bigger. From the first notes of acoustic opener "Only Son," it's clear his warm tremolo has been injected with confidence. "Dearly Departed" puts that to the test, stacking him against glossy hand-clap folk-pop and singer Esmé Patterson, who plays Emmylou Harris to his Gram Parsons on two other tracks ("Big Time Nashville Star," "Call It Heaven"). Meanwhile, warm crunch crashes into the bluesy urgency of "The Perfect Parts," which would've fit seamlessly into an early Black Keys album. Even with these new tricks, "Hard Wired" and "Call It Heaven" recall the picker we used to know. He may have knocked off some dust on his way out of town, but Shakey Graves remains firmly homegrown.