Review of Skin & Bone
MarkBrown is a new name to me and Skin & Bone is his second self-released album due out in September. Fourteen tracks all written by the singer-songwriter who pours a lot of feeling into his songs, the album was excellently produced by Grammy Award-winning Dean Jones with just a handful of guest musicians. The result is a very intimate album that makes you feel Brown is just telling you his personal stories. The backing is beautifully balanced and sensitive leaving the vocals crystal clear on every track. I can never understand why producers don't give priority to clear vocals on folk and country atoums. To be fair it is usualy more folk than country that falls into this trap.
Mark Brown is a fine songwriter inviting comparisons to John Prine and several other greats. I would love to see him live so perhaps this latest album will help pave the way for a visit to these shores.