Wes Carr is getting back to his folk roots. After winning the sixth season of Australian Idol in 2008 and charting #2 in Australia with The Way The World Looks, his second album (first with a label), Carr started a new project that allowed him to focus his musical production on acoustic pastoral melodies and his singer/songwriter foundations. Making music under the moniker Buffalo Tales, Carr recently released his third studio album, Roadtrip Confessions, which takes listeners on a rich, bucolic journey of savory vocals and lulling rhythms.
Carr’s true strength as an artist is as a storyteller. Like a more effervescent Iron & Wine, Carr plugs through each song on Roadtrip Confessions, navigating listeners through woven personal tales. It is a joy to enter the musical world of Carr, and it should come to no surprise that he came upon the nickname Buffalo Tales, an image that evokes stories of idyllic plains.
The video for “Amsterdam,” the lead single off the album, is a reflection of Carr’s melodic candor; the song flows naturally and effectively. Injected with an acoustic rhythm much like a strummed Tallest Man on Earth piece, “Amsterdam” is carried with a rhythmic power and vocal vitality. The energy is refreshing. The harmonies give the piece an Indie/Folk quality and add to its strength.
Yes, this is a unique cover of Rihanna’s “Diamonds.” It is subdued and personal. In that sense it almost reminds me of the “Hey Ya” cover by Obadiah Parker, but Carr’s cover is carried with a quiet potency that is both emotional and sweet. Perhaps my favorite part of the cover is that Carr holds back. He can flat-out sing, but instead of overwhelming the cover, he remains tranquil and almost melancholic.
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The Music Court 