Airplay

Like his recent mini-album, Swiftly, Surely, this set is suffused with bright harmonica bursts and shadowy, difficult lyrics. It serves as both a reverent nod to Xander’s influences and a window into his own individualism. This is a delicate balance; many a young songwriter apes his predecessors at the cost of ingenuity, and perhaps even more plunge into the waters with little knowledge of the debt they owe to their forebears. Xander walks the line ably, dancing (slowly) with the past but moving (surely) toward the future. [excerpt from C. T. Heaney's review of Swiftly, Sureley. Read the whole thing here.]