With his sophomore LP, Reed Turner hits his stride. Having settled back in Austin after attending the Berklee College of Music and stints in Nashville and Portland, the songwriter gathered an impressive outfit for his hometown recording, including Phoebe Hunt on fiddle and harmonies. The resulting collection cuts an array of Americana. Dark undercurrents expand behind his gentle vocals on opener “Modern Man” and burst forth in the yelping blues howls of “Ghost in the Attic” and “Killed That Girl (‘Cause She Was Killin’ Me),” not to mention the slow electric guitar scorch on the brooding “Long Gone.” “Room for Doubt” and “Locking Doors” smooth the sound but not the hurt and lost sentiment, the former swaddled in Kim Deschamps’ pedal steel and the latter lifting Reed’s powerfully rich tenor. Easy fingerpicking hushes on “Familiar Sound” evoke José González and offset the dramatic vocal flourish of closer “The Sculptor & the Stone.” Ghosts reveals a songwriter coming into his own.

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This article appears in October 11 • 2013.

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Doug Freeman has been writing for the Austin Chronicle since 2007, covering the arts and music scene in the city. He is originally from Virginia and earned his Masters Degree from the University of Texas. He is also co-editor of The Austin Chronicle Music Anthology, published by UT Press.