Eric Alan
Because of my pro-Giants baseball bias towards you I was actually a little worried I might be blinded by enthusiasm and then find I didn't like the tunes, but that is not the case. After listening for the first time to all five of the CDs you've sent , and watching the DVD, here are my unvarnished professional opinions: This is the real thing. Very good stuff. Though your voice shows occasional technical limitations--especially on the live DVD--that's of little consequence, because it's full of real soul and honest heart, and is a sweet instrument that's definitely deepened over time. It's a strong compliment to say that your songwriting is good enough that no casual listener would be able to tell which songs are originals and which were written by the great songwriters you cover. The musicianship around you is impeccable, of course, and the clean organic production is the exact style that we here at this rootsy network feel suits honest music the best. The strong roots of family and spirit that run so deeply through your music give it a groundedness in tradition that matters. And, unlike far too many songwriters I receive music from, you actually know how to make a cohesive album--exploring the different aspects of your musical styles an album at a time instead of wandering all over the musical map incoherently. This morning I chose to air "Coming Home" from "Pieces of the Past," because it segued perfectly with Irish music from the great band Kila. But there will be a time and place for many other things within our folk programming and our regular daytime programming over time. I will educate our three folk DJs about you and your music

Eric Alan Music Director, Jefferson Public Radio Stations, West Coast