Craig is perhaps at his most Damien Rice on the title track; the instrumentation simple and stripped down, his rough-coated voice stands tall.

Sometimes comparisons are a tricky thing. They can turn you off of music you might otherwise like; for instance, I can name countless bands I love but whose contemporaries I don't.

But other times, as in the case of Denver singer-songwriter Dan Craig, they're spot on. So here's my comparison: Craig sounds like Damien Rice and Cameron McGill combined, with his own uniqueness and originality making it all work and rise above the rest.

Craig's second release, Wirebird, is a captivating and intriguing listen from start to finish. First song "Afterglow" is an upbeat, catchy number with a complexly strummed acoustic guitar. A distorted guitar kicks off "Kid in My Clothes," which finds Craig questioning the path he's followed. "Window" takes things down a notch; this slow-burner is filled with poetic imagery and lines such as, "Go out boldly she says/ Don't take no today/ god knows there is no such thing/ We're only moments anyway."

"Waiting on a Waitress," despite having a catchy title, is a hard-strummed rocker, while "Till the Morning Comes" has more of an addictively toe-tapping groove to it. Craig is perhaps at his most Damien Rice on the title track; the instrumentation simple and stripped down, his rough-coated voice stands tall. Piano song "Woken Up Grass" is a classic way to end a timeless album.

Craig's voice is soothingly scratchy, comforting and worn like that old pair of shoes you wear so well. The music's intricate yet simple, easy. Wirebird is singer-songwriter at its best, mellow enough for background music yet richly woven and literate; Craig's lyrics tell tales of people, portraying snapshots of life, begging for headphones. A- | Laura Hamlett

RIYL: Damien Rice, Cameron McGill, Ryan Adams

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