With all the technopop, hip-hop, sampling, and all kind of nonsense in music today, it's always refreshing to see an incredible songwriter kick total and complete ass with just a glorified wooden box, some steel strings, and her/his own voice.
This is Lake Claire/Atlanta-based singer-songwriter Shawn Mullins singing perhaps his biggest hit, "Lullaby (Rock-A-Bye)" in the studio of WRVR in Memphis back in 2006. This is a killer version enhanced further by his great taste in wearing a Colorado state flag T-shirt. Joining him is Clay Cook, another Atlanta musician who was instrumental, as it were, in the launch of John Mayer's career.
For the music readers here at Terra Sig, Shawn wrote this song in open-G tuning: GGDGBD. The chords themselves are quite easy to play and the resonance of the open strings makes this such a great progression but I can't for the life of me work out the syncopation - how he does the spoken word thing over that amazes me further.
Shawn is also active in the 12 Bands project to raise funds for pediatric cancer research and family support.
For our readers in the northeastern US, Shawn will be at World Cafe Live in Philadelphia this coming Wednesday the 27th and at City Winery in New York City on Thursday the 28th.
If you want more, here's a terrific version of "Shimmer" from the Durango Songwriters' Expo in Colorado Springs last fall. The first 2:30 is a funny story about his first visit to Australia.
Two great songs. The Australia story stirred some Sydney memories of my own -- but the 5th amendment precludes discussing them here. ;)