One of the many pleasures that comes with setting up my hideout in the San Marcos, Texas area is the wealth of talented singer/songwriters that also have chosen to take up residence. Over the years, I’ve run across a number of them that have truly blown me away with their talent, and one of the more recent personalities to step out of the pack is Cecil James. I knew he was a solid guitarist (this coming from a completely inept guitarist) and a singer with a richness to his voice similar to that of M. Ward, but with a bit more playful storyteller, but up until recently, I had no idea what he would sound like in the framing of a recorded project. These curiosities were laid to rest with the recent release of Las Canciones del Borracho, a 3-song EP that plays out like a movie story arc that lies somewhere between David Lynch and the Cohen Brothers. He’s always sounded great acoustically, but hearing him with a strong backing band and focused production not only brings out the sonic griot in his lyrics, but it subtextually comments on his ruminations about being an isolated soul in search of close company full of kindred spirits. In my humble opinion, that should be relatively easy to find around San Marcos, especially with a calling card like Las Canciones del Borracho in your back pocket.
-chief
Chief and TheDoomsdayDevice 