The guy is a decent songwriter, but his voice sells the music. Like Rhett Miller, Votolato possesses a warm, supple croon with a hint of whiskey rasp.
Copping all the standard country moves, the former Texan cites the bottle repeatedly, from "Whiskey Straight" to "Your Darkest Eyes," which lure him "into drinking to kill the pain." "The Wrong Side of Reno" even mentions a train whistle. While Votolato scores with lines like "The world we live in is golden/Gilded with every lie we live through," he can't avoid clichés.
Votolato has created a pleasantly appealing album without traction, sliding in and out of your awareness while registering barely a ripple.
