Kevin Carroll

Tourmaline

Austin scenesters from the Nineties might remember Kevin Carroll’s band the Sleestacks, though today most know the local guitarist as a longtime sidekick for Charlie Robison. Tourmaline, his second solo disc, was a long time in the making, but its breezy attitude and engaging combination of roots and soul add up to a winning formula. A song cycle with intro and outro, Tourmaline (a many-colored mineral) invokes a variety of styles from Sixties pop to southern R&B and in the process visits some deeply held emotions with results that are convincing and affecting. Carroll’s obscure yet obvious title for such a compilation of sounds, from the Tex-Mex leaning “Box of Wine” and the acoustic anthem “Give It Away” to the slinky “Make It Feel Good,” codifies Tournaline‘s extraordinary range of pop hooks and a tender heart.

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This article appears in July 27 • 2007.

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