Rod Melancon  

Pulling everything together is Melancon himself: a southern songwriter and storyteller rooted in the oral tradition of Cormac McCarthy and Larry Brown. His songs are dark and detailed, and his voice — which veers between a spoken-word delivery, a croon, and a rough-edged howl — is every bit as diverse as the material it delivers. Pinkville, his fourth release, makes plenty of room for that diversity. There are psychedelic soul songs, Rolling Stones-inspired rockers, tributes to icons like Freddy Fender and Tom Petty, and a cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “57 Channels (And Nothin’ On),” all captured in analog sound by co-producers Adrian Quesada and Will Walden.

“The album is a visceral journey into Melancon’s deep southern roots. And he serves as a steady guide to the characters and places that make up this world, from a crawfish pond to a dusty carwash. Melancon told me that starting out the album with a somber spoken-word song felt right to him.”
– NPR’s Don Gonyea