If this first taste is any indication, Sam Beam has embraced jazz influences more than ever before on the latest Iron & Wine LP, Ghost on Ghost. Teaming up with longtime producer Brian Deck, Beam enlisted a handful of top session players from that genre and others, 5 of which have performed with the Lounge Lizards over the years (Kenny Wolleson, Tony Garnier, Curtis Fowlkes, Steve Bernstein, Doug Wieselman) along with Briggan Kraus, Maxim Moston, Anja Wood, and Marika Hughes. Tin Hat Trio’s Rob Burger provided horn/string arrangements. Per a statement from Beam, he wanted to cut the “anxious tension” behind the process on his last two albums. “Lovers’ Revolution” above is some lovely, free-flowing proof they pulled that off with ease. Ghost on Ghost, their debut for Nonesuch Records, is due on April 16th. Here are the other titles:
Ghost on Ghost Tracklist
01. “Caught in the Briars”
02. “The Desert Babbler”
03. “Joy”
04. “Low Light Buddy of Mine”
05. “Graces for Saints and Ramblers”
06. “Grass Windows”
07. “Singers and the Endless Song”
08. “Sundown (Back in the Briars)”
09. “Winter Prayers”
10. “New Mexico’s No Breeze”
11. “Lovers’ Revolution”
12. “Baby Center Stage”