WHISTLES & THE BELLS (DLCD)

Limited vinyl LP pressing includes digital download. 2015 self-titled debut album from Nashville-based The Whistles & the Bells. The album was produced by Grammy Award winning engineer Vance Powell (Jack White, Chris Thile, Buddy Guy). The vehicle of singer/songwriter Bryan Simpson, former front man of Cadillac Sky, The Whistles & the Bells defy easy categorization as folk, alt-country, indie rock and gospel thread together to create a rich musical tapestry that matches the intense soul searching of Simpson's evocative and poetic lyrics. Simpson, a talented multi-instrumentalist and singer who also found success in his previous musical pursuits working with luminaries as diverse as Dan Auerbach and Ricky Skaggs, was uneasy and weary about sharing the deeply personal songs and far-ranging sounds he had been concocting at home for the last several years. Though he was proud of his songs, and eager to share them, he agonized over the idea of putting his music out there, afraid it would introduce old demons and return him to the path of disillusionment he had previously journeyed on. Not to mention, the ever-present tightrope walk that every brave new sonicscapes walks, of deaf ears and disinterest. That stranger with a "message" was just the cosmic catalyst he needed.