GRAYSON CAPPS > Songbones

Recorded September 3, 2002, at Mike West’s 9th Ward Picking Parlor in New Orleans with Tom Marron, these ten “skeletal” songs show the soulful songsmith at his most vulnerable. Without the “meat” of a band and fancy studio behind him, Capps’ talent shines through even stronger. 

Label: Hyena
[Rating: 3.5 Stars]

Recorded September 3, 2002, at Mike West’s 9th Ward Picking Parlor in New Orleans with Tom Marron, these ten “skeletal” songs show the soulful songsmith at his most vulnerable. Without the “meat” of a band and fancy studio behind him, Capps’ talent shines through even stronger. Sitting in armless chairs, the stage was set for an acoustically reclined session; the result is a collection of raw, unpolished gems-in-the-making that later appeared on Capps’ critically-acclaimed records, If You Knew My Mind and Wail and Ride, such as “Washboard Lisa,”-marked by the soulful wail of Marron’s harp-“Slidell,” and “Graveyard.” Songbones leaves the listener with a new appreciation for Capps through these tear-stained song sketches more suited to the world-weary voice of this blue-collar bluesman.