Hungry

iTunes Review

Former Easterly frontman Noah Hall’s 2008 solo debut as Whiskey Priest is a quiet, majestic piece of unimposing ‘60s-influenced folk pop. Sung often in whispers with a sprinkle of romantic fairy dust that has already drawn comparisons to Donovan for its guile-free wonder, Hall’s tunes hold onto an enviable tranquility. Acoustic guitars, an occasional keyboard, and a sudden pressing of strings augment what is austere terrain. “Nothing New” begins with an uplifting melody (reminiscent of Pearls Before Swine’s Tom Rapp’s songcraft) and the unsettling admission: “There is nothing new under the sun / It’s all become so ordinary.” “Love and a Gun” follows, tracing the birth of a child born on the day of John Lennon’s murder, mixing tears of personal joy with public sorrow and societal concerns. “Get Well Card” works as a hopeful hymn to the romantically burned (“Love doesn’t have to be so hard”) that admits lowering your expectations of the world may get you closer to what you want. These are humble songs of gifted, subtle beauty.  And that’s a heartfelt acoustic cover of Guns n’ Roses’ “Sweet Child o’ Mine” tucked in there near the end.