Great to see talent rewarded. Jeff Finlin has a song in Cameron Crowe`s "Elizabethtown" and it`s a great, great song, one of the finest you`ll hear, it`s that good. Listen below, it`s called "Sugar Blue" and it`s on the soundtrack, as well. Who is Finlin? Well, Finlin, a Nashville based musician for the last 20 years(now relocated to lovely Ft. Collins, Colorado!), is not `big in Japan` but he sure is that in Europe! He`s a special talent, not easily slotted into pre-defined musical genres or styles. Refreshingly, he just plays his talents straight---which is why Europe has embraced him and his homeland, mired in the myopic pursuit of `finding an angle` is not aware. The best place to begin could be here, but push come to shove, we`ll push 2005`s "Epinonymous" and then "Somewhere" quickly behind that. Bottom Line: Check this is guy out! "Somewhere" is a collection of songs for everyman which cover the emotional waterfront of joy, pain, love and despair . Uncut: "Album Of The Week.....his voice is of a distinctive quality shot through with traces of Dylan, Waits and Newman. He is based in Nashville, but to label this album alternative country would be both lazy and stupid. From the sardonic opener `I Am The King` to the sprawling, drawling title track, Finlin is no slave to a particular genre. It is earthy, grounded music, with Jeff doing laid-back radio friendly on songs like `Summertime`, sounding like a stoned jazzer with tongue firmly in cheek, or kicking back the heels of the cowboy boots and rocking out over the horn section on `Goodtime`....Finlin`s music is never confined to one particular landscape but links them all into one big sonic panorama. This record is like spending the best part of an hour with a gifted storyteller, and for the stripped-down proof of his songwriting skills, look no further than the stunning simplicity of `Alchemy`."-Uncut. From Q: "DYLAN-ESQUE BUT STILL DISTINCTIVE TROUBADOUR `Bob`-ness abounds, but Finlin`s individuality shines from the start when I Am The King portrays all human life as the constantly reincarnated agony of Christ. Imagine! Well, Finlin did. This second solo venture seethes with ideas, pithy choruses, hard guitars and a voice that`s always ready to go feral." MOJO: "The man with a voice like an archaeological dig vies for the "This Year`s Dylan" tag yet again. It was always odd how Tom Waits` more romantic ballads never sounded prettier than when he delivered them himself. Something about sandpaper rubbing smooth and satisfying maybe? Finlin, Ohio-born but Nashville-based, can also turn that trick. When he emerges with such beauties as the delicious Sugar Blue and the enigmatic Sugar Blue Too ("Ulysses pulls his sword for Cleopatra`s muse - he thinks he`s won the
war") he does damage to heartstrings. But he can move anywhere he pleases. The blues come easy - as the title track proves in spades. That dragged-through-the-mud vocal gives the lie to any foolish "blues are all the same" dissent. Good solid rock? Finlin, with the help of guitar-totin` sidekick Pat Buchanan(Idle Jets), can nail that too. All bases covered. No reason not to indulge." Grade: Solid "A".
 Sugar Blue - mp3
Goodtime - mp3
Alchemy - mp3
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