Good Music Thursday: Volume 5

Welcome back, friends. Because of this blasted thing, I almost neglected to do Good Music Thursday this week. But, never fear. Tim is hear (*it's a pun!*) with more good music for your listening pleasure.

Our subject this week is a San Diego native named Greg Laswell. Never heard of him? Neither had I, until The Current turned me on to his music. It's very rare that I need to pull the car over to the side of the road because the music is so profound, but that's exactly what happened the first time I heard the song "Do What I Can" off his 2006 release "Through Toledo."

This album was written from a very real place of pain. One day his wife walked in and informed him that she was leaving. Just like that. He didn't intend to write an album about the experience, but before he knew it, there were 12 great songs just waiting to be recorded.

So, record he did.

And they're amazing. It's not just the songcraft, or the musicianship, or the fact that he plays all (yes, that's right--ALL) of the instruments on this recording that make it a standout record. I think it's that his voice has an absolutely haunting quality that sticks with you all day long--kind of like what your parents promised would happen in your stomach if you ate peanut butter for breakfast.

Whether you like peanut butter or not, I encourage you to feast on this album. There's a ton of places to get lost--and the view has never been better from the 'middle of nowhere' than it is on "Through Toledo." As per always, I wouldn't leave you without a few freebies to sample the musical greatness. Check here for a live, in studio performance at The Current from earlier this fall. Or, you can look at Greg's myspace page (yes, we're on a first name basis) which has three of the tunes off the new record ready to impress you.

Happy Thursday, Speckled Mind readers. And remember--life is too short to listen to bad music.