Tin Ear

Ben Sollee has one hell of an interesting life – he’s a classically trained cello virtuoso and environmental activist, touring the country on a mutant mega-bicycle. But as he proved on 2011’s stellar Inclusions, this Kentucky boy’s also a staggeringly sturdy songwriter, with a panache for unexpected sonic twists. Half-Made Man is less gleefully eclectic, but what it loses in surprise it makes up for in raw power. Drawing influence from frequent collaborators My Morning Jacket, Half-Made Man finds Sollee fronting a traditional rock band, romanticizing the nuances of travel and nature over Carl Broemel’s aching guitar
reverb and Jordon Ellis’ pummeling kit. The sleepiest tracks lag a tad, but everything else slays – from the spooky soul of “Get Off Your Knees” to the intimate country-folk of “Roam in the Dark.”