Material: Jangling Sparrows is a solo artist in the folk roots/Americana genre with hints of country, rock and bluegrass to flavor the tunes nicely. A contemporary Alan Bean and Morris Kats come to mind as you listen to this present-day Americana artist sing his tunes and deliver his message. Songs like “Look Away Twice,” with its funky chord progression and heavy lyrics like “You might take my sorrow for advice” and “You can’t live on pearls of wisdom,” might suggest to you that all the intelligence in this world might not get you all that love and happiness you’re craving for.
Musicianship: Edelman has a really strong voice that resonates as he sings and needs little or no effects. Great vibrato keeps his songs glued together nicely for the audience as he gets his points across with lyrical accuracy. His guitar work is superb as he fingerpicks and strums with ease, all the while singing beautifully and making you think of a simpler past. The lyrics are rich with symbolism as well as direct messages that make you think about life and drama and what it all means. “Daddy Says” is a great example of the fine musicianship that Edelman brings to the table.
Performance: Edelman has great rapport with his audience. Constantly talking to them and keeping them up-to-date about his whereabouts and albums and such. His disheveled, hung over look is misleading, but when he picks up the guitar and starts singing about a love lost, about being a kid, or about life lessons, you are easily and totally engulfed in the message while being transported to another time and place. Good stage presence makes Edelman a very likable character.
Summary: Heartfelt Americana music at its finest. Great lyrics accompany superb guitar skills to give you a feeling of authenticity and realism that instantly transports you to the 1950s, where you spent the summer at the lake and snuck off from the parents to go play in the woods. It’s such a beautiful journey: innocent and naïve and even more beautiful with the right music. Jangling Sparrows has four CDs available. All are very consistent and true to the genre; North American and Susquehanna, Stranger Things, Truer Words, 140 Nickels, and Bootstraps and Other American Fables, and all are loaded with great music that’ll make you wish you grew up in Maine in the ‘50s.
Contact: [email protected]
Web: JanglingSparrows.com
Players: Paul Edelman
