Joel R.L. Phelps

I'm obsessing quite a bit right now over Joel R.L. Phelps. I loved his debut album but haven't bought anything since, for reasons I can't adequately explain. He has a new record coming out, Customs, which apparently rocks much more than his last several subdued albums. From everything I've read about him, he just seems like a geniunely good man--refreshingly honest, humble and low-key.

If you want to get a feel for Joel's work, you can download "Goodbye Kelly Grand Forks" and stream the studio video of "What the Sargeant Said", both off of the new album, from his European label 12XU. Plus, KEXP in Seattle has an archived in-studio performance from last year with three nice tunes, his fansite has some older live MP3s from 1996 ("Rev. Robert Irving" is a personal favorite) and 12XU also has other audio items available.

But as invigorating as those rock tracks are, what I keep coming back to is the forlorn beauty of "When Will We", a non-album track recorded in a radio studio in 2001 with just Joel and his acoustic guitar. Gives me shivers, every time.