MANDO SAENZ > Bucket

A Texan relocated to Nashville, Mando Saenz sings in a sun-dazed tenor that seems a trifle self-involved, but Bucket is a superior singer/songwriter record that’s less solipsistic than it first appears.Label: Carnival
[Rating: 4 Stars]

A Texan relocated to Nashville, Mando Saenz sings in a sun-dazed tenor that seems a trifle self-involved, but Bucket is a superior singer/songwriter record that’s less solipsistic than it first appears. Even-toned and deceptively smooth, Bucket casts Saenz as a beautiful loser who wonders if he’s merely “a poster of a man with a holster” and loses his pride in Pittsburgh, of all the romantic cities on earth. R.S. Field’s meticulous production shadows these narratives with dulcimer and guitar, and Saenz’s lyrics are often inspired and always acute. Co-written with Kim Richey, “Pocket of Red” rocks like glam Americana, while “In the Back of Your Mind” recalls the expansive Byrds of 1967, complete with spiffy guitar break. It’s a sharp record; “A Touch Is All” is a song about how your favorite song can’t replace a lost love or evoke a town you once called home.