The Hot List
WHO: Luke Winslow King
WHAT: guitarist/singer/songwriter updates folk blues for a polished yet genuine sound
Luke Winslow King recorded June release, The Coming Tide, with a full entourage at Piety Street Studios, and it's a wonderful if hushed foundation for King and Esther Rose to trade call-and-response vocal harmonies throughout the album. King wrote seven of the 11 tracks, and in total they fill a beautiful suite of traditional folk blues, with strains of spirituals, traditional jazz and folk. A native of Michigan who grew up singing Baptist hymns, King came to New Orleans in 2001 to study musical composition at the University of New Orleans, but John Boutte introduced him to the blending of jazz and other local sounds. With Coming Tide, he achieves what he describes as "a new vision for folkier, family-band kind of parlor music." It has retro stylings and string picking that have become popular recently, but the album evokes both the genuine feel of good folk music and elegant vocal harmonies. — Coviello
