Dayton musician Nick Kizirnis has worked with Tobin Sprout but Nick's music is far more aligned with roots rockers than it is to anything from Guided By Voices. After enlisting vocalist Kate Wakefield to join his band, the newest album from Kiriznis, The Distance, out now via ATOM Records, reveals Nick's facility at crafting rich and evocative material tinged with folk rock elements.
"Way to Me" is a waltz-like elegy, while "Slipping Away" reveals a faint debt owed to Roy Orbison, an inspiration for Kizirnis. Elsewhere, a cover of Lucinda Williams' "Am I Too Blue?" allows Kate Wakefield to offer up her best performance on an album full of great ones. This, and a Tom Waits cover later on the record, are good, and these covers sit nicely next to the originals by Nick Kizirnis. "Tell Me Tomorrow" faintly recalls Fleetwood Mac, but most of the compositions on The Distance are distinct, down-tempo numbers punctuated by Nick Kizirnis' superb guitar-playing, or the spry drumming of Mark Peterson (Son Volt). Still, The Distance really belongs to vocalist Kate Wakefield. Her plaintive and emotive vocals carry each one of these tracks to a kind of quiet glory.
The Distance is out now via ATOM Records.
More details on Nick Kizirnis via the official website.
[Photo: Andy Valeri]