Bella Union releases Will Stratton's new album Rosewood Almanac. Born in California, mostly raised in New Jersey and currently an upstate New Yorker, this great-grandson of a travelling preacher started songwriting and recording while at high school, before going on to study philosophy and music composition. Rosewood Almanac was named after Stratton’s current pride and joy: his acoustic guitar...

It's not that Rosewood Almanac is a particularly disappointing album, it's just that it's not very memorable. Over the course of this LP's 10 songs (33 min, 50 sec) I didn't find anything that leapt out at me. 'Manzanita' and 'Ribbons' are passable, but on any other album would be totally overlooked.

While the songs are well written and performed, they're just a little to bland to warrant recommending this as an essential purchase. Will Stratton sounds like any one of a thousand other similar artists, and as such will probably vanish into the background pretty quickly.

5

Nick Smithson