This week's CD choice

J TILLMAN

A Year in the Kingdom Bella Union ****

According to Josh Tillman, the greatest compliment ever paid about his music came from friend and fellow musician Damien Jurado, who called called him a “half-time John Lee Hooker.” An unusual comparison, but easier to understand than the usual tired references to Nick Drake. Tillman is less bluesman, more unabashed folk singer, but what he offers is rooted in the same storytelling traditions: grappling with a sense of place – and with sorrow itself – in an effort to find meaning.

Tillman’s kingdom resembles Will Oldham’s: earthy moods and a pastoral hinterland where personal narratives take root. Ditching the drum seat of Fleet Foxes, Tillman is comfortable with the spaces between vocal and guitar, and the opening title track is an exercise in restraint. From there, though, his sixth solo album offers us something fuller than his requisite pin-drop sound. A Hammer Dulcimer is drafted in, often forming the backbone of arrangements.

It's clear from these songs (and interesting touches, such as the bowed cymbals on Crosswinds) that Tillman is trying to raise his own game. Working in a genre often accused of being overly introspective, he has constructed something that feels communal. This new lushness spills over everything, from production to arrangements and harmonies, adding a new depth to his work.

The album’s most inspired flourish is the male and female backing vocals provided by Tillman’s girlfriend, Aja Pecknold (sister of Robin), and his own brother Zach. Used sparingly, their semi-religious pitch taps into the spiritual heart of these songs and a transcendence the singer has spoken of trying to capture.

Tillman will have come to most people’s attention through Fleet Foxes, but this career-high album should push people to seek out his hefty, and very accomplished solo back catalogue. www.myspace. com/jtillman

Download Track: Crosswinds, Earthly Bodies, Though I Have Wronged You