Dan Knudsen
Early For The Road
self-released 

It’s been nearly two decades since I first saw Dan Knudsen dumbfound a crowd of smoking hipsters in the former Fine Arts theater on Congress Street with his irony-free, sweet and simple folk songs about sunshine, flowers and rain. His musical palette has evolved a little over the years with the addition of drums and keyboard, and some darkness has seeped around the edges of his lyrics, but he’s still the same earnest troubadour whose regular appearances at local open mics have earned this outsider artist a dedicated cult following. On his latest release, the five-song Early For The Road, Knudsen uses Jackson Browne songs as the template for his own tales, including not one but two tracks about losing a job. “You had to let me go / I could no longer stay,” he sings on the chorus of “Clock of Cloudiness,” before delivering the perfect Knudsonian line: “And it was good to hear your feedback yesterday.” Would that we all could accept setbacks with such saintly equanimity. Other highlights include the plea for intergalactic peace “Say It Isn’t Likely” and Dan’s moving tribute to his father, “For A Ragtimer.” Dan is a ray of pure light in a rapidly dimming world. May his talent shine upon us for another 20 years.

— Chris Busby