Tim Easton

Mixed in Joshua Tree, CA and recorded in Cleveland, Minneapolis and Alaska, Ammunition is a tour de force that shows this sublime songwriter searching out new roads for his muse. Produced by the Jayhawks’ Gary Louris, and joined by a "who’s who” of the alt-country scene (Lucinda Williams, Tim O’Reagan and Tift Merritt), the record is filled with sharp social commentary from this travelled troubadour. The duet with Williams — the lovely "Back to the Pain” — comments on a woman who is drawn to a bad man, despite the pain he causes, and is one of the many highs. The engaging songwriter lures the listener in with each subsequent song. The record opens with the sparse "Black Dog,” where the erudite Easton takes a phrase he heard by a woman in Prague and turns it into a storied and cryptic allegory. From poetry to politics to simple love ballads, Ammunition is filled with enough firepower to appeal to a wide audience. Furthermore, Easton bookends the disc with the classic "Sitting on Top of the World.” This version would surely make fellow wanderer Doc Watson smile and shows that, despite his alt-country and singer-songwriter leanings, he’s just a folkie at heart.