Royal Potato Family

It may or may not be a coincidence that songs grappling with a working musician’s fears – receding youth while stardom doesn’t seem to get any closer (see “Yes You Are” and “Rock N Roll” ) – appear on an album that’s also Grayson Capps’ most polished to date. Either way, the addition of organ, horns, gospel-y female backing vocalists and reverb turns out to be a good thing. The New Orleans-steeped literary roots rocker hasn’t gone countrypolitan; he’s just taken his down-home game to a new level, and illuminated his vocal gifts in the process. It’s clear from “Coconut Moonshine” – a trademark colorful Capps character study – and a mighty fine cover of Taj Mahal’s “Annie’s Lover” that he’s got a feel for country-blues. He’s also one of roots music’s most underrated and well-rounded entertainers.