Andrew Combs has continued to evolve his sound ever since his twangy 2012 Worried Man debut, shifting to a tenderhearted pop country vibe on 2015’s All These Dreams and then to a ’70s singer/songwriter introspective folk sound on 2017’s Canyons of My Mind. Comb’s fourth release finds him pivoting again to a cosmic country sound inspired by Lee Hazlewood on the LP, Ideal Man. In addition, Combs has taken up painting and used the artwork to inspire the songwriting process, starting with an emotion as a base concept then adding and subtracting words until the song and corresponding painting took shape. Ideal Man was recorded live in a Brooklyn studio with minimal overdubs by producer Sam Cohen (Kevin Morby, Benjamin Booker) and results in one of Combs’ most compelling albums to date. Album highlights include: opening track “Stars of Longing”; the hazy, melancholic “Born Without a Clue”; the hopeful “Save Somebody Else”; the tearjerker “Like a Feather”; the country-soul track “Hide & Seek”; the eerie torch song “The Stone”; and the pastoral “Golden.” With each album released, we continue to see Combs grow and challenge himself and Ideal Man is no exception and a great listen. – Written by JFelton
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