If It's Too Loud...

"Mr. Rodriguez" isn't exactly a new song, seeing as we first heard it on last year's exceedingly great Imaginary Man. Rayland Baxter is set to release SOHO EP next Friday, which revisits some of the tracks on Imaginary Man  in a more stripped down version. If this new version of "Mr. Rodriguez" is any indication, this isn't just a collection of acoustic versions of songs you have already heard. The SOHO   EP version is stripped down to bare bones, consisting mainly of Baxter's vocals and minimal guitar layered with a background of reverb. I truly can't say either version is the best version, but instead each lives in its own universe that you owe it to yourself to check out. SOHO EP will be available at Rayland Baxter's current tour dates. If you can't make it, you can also purchase one at the ATO Records webstore . For current tour dates, be sure to check out his website .

I owe Rayland Baxter an apology. Back when I reviewed "Yellow Eyes ," another song off his upcoming release Imaginary Man , I mentioned that I had dismissed his previous album. After hearing a second song off of Imaginary Man, I was damn wrong to do so. "Mr. Rodriguez" was inspired by Sixto Rodriguez, the now legendary Detroit folk artist and the subject of the Academy Award winning documentary Searching for Sugarman . "Mr. Rodriguez" is everything I want in a modern country/folk song. While mainstream country isn't even recognizable as country, and alt-country tends to co-opt an old fashioned sound that borders on novelty, "Mr. Rodriguez" takes elements of both to bring you the rare modern folk/country sound. Baxter is a fantastic storyteller in this song, which is going to bring obvious comparisons to both Bob Dylan and Simon & Garfunkel. It's a lush sound that is laid back without ever being boring. This has all the makings of ...