Cottonwood (Back 9, 2006)

Though he now lives in L.A., where he hangs out with the likes of Chris Hillman and Herb Pedersen (both have cameos on this debut, along with a solid cast of other guests and backups) and there are probably precious few cottonwood trees, Brad Colerick's singing and songwriting resonate with the down home, down-to-earth sensibilities and emotions of the places where cottonwoods can actually be found - like Colerick's native Nebraska home.

"Americana" may yet be more of a marketing term to some than a real genre, but Colerick makes a strong case for the kind of music that exhibits fluency in a variety of "roots" dialects.

Although a few tunes carry a touch of electric instrumentation - and tastefully done at that - "Cottonwood" is essentially an acoustic collection, going as far as out-and-out bluegrass on tunes like "Til Something Better Comes Along" and "Eve Ate The Apple."Colerick's vocals and delivery carry the same warm and reassuring quality and conviction that have made singers like Bill Staines as popular among "country" audiences as "folk" audiences. More to the point, Colerick, like Staines, is the sort of singer who shows that there's really not all that much difference between country and folk. (6255 Sunset Blvd., #1024, Hollywood, CA 90028)