Debut albums aren’t always this complex. The deep voiced Andrew Bond strips down life experiences and twists them into an allegory we can all see and feel, a feat not easy in any first album. This isn’t pop and it isn’t blues but to call it folk places unfair limits on this artist. Bond is a fan of Townes Van Zandt and Leonard Cohen and their influence is evident although this is not as sad as Townes and his voice more musical than Cohen. The arrangements are sparse which adds to the immediacy. Although there are some serious moments of sadness, there is also humor (Nothing Last Forever) and optimism (Its Sunny Somewhere). The surprising ghost story Regency Hotel with its soul piercing saxophone and the blues/ folk As I strum the Blues with its spine tingling slide guitar are the highlights but this is an album worth listening to all the way through and then listening to again.