Ryko

There are generous helpings of Bob Dylan and Neil Young in the music of folksy singer/songwriter Mark Olson, but, for the most part, Olson is his own man. After all, he helped found The Jayhawks in 1985, the Original Harmony Ridge Creekdippers in 1995 and finally kick-started his own solo career in 2007. And, now, he’s back with his sophomore release, Many Colored Kite, a cheery and touching adventure down the highways of Americana. The gorgeous “Beehive” features Olson and his charmingly vulnerable voice backed only by acoustic guitar and a soaring string section. “Scholastica” finds him “walking on the shores of goodbye,” snarling and quivering like Young on After the Gold Rush. The reassuring arpeggios of “Wind and Rain,” cruise smoothly beneath the angelic harmony vocals of Ingunn Ringvold.