Eliot Bronson (Saturn 5, 2014)

With a number of prestigious awards to his credit so far (including Creative Loafing's Songwriter of the Year honors in this year's "Best of Atlanta" competition, top ranking in the Songwriting Contest at MerleFest, finalist status at the Kerrville Folk Festival, finalist status at the Rocky Mountain Folks Fest Songwriting Contest, and judicial recognition from the New Song Contest held at Lincoln Center), Eliot Bronson clearly seems ready to take center stage. Those accolades were obviously enough to make producer Dave Cobb take notice, and given his efforts with luminaries like Jason Isbell and Sturgill Simpson, he clearly knows a thing or two about rising talent.

With Cobb's help, Bronson's fashioned an eponymous third album that fulfils the promise of all he's achieved so far, a stirring series of rustic narratives and hard-luck encounters well informed by a journeyman desire. He generally sticks to a distant perspective, with songs like "River Runs Dry," "Baltimore" and "Time Ain't Nothin'" marked by solitary sentiments and the calming strum of acoustic guitars. There are exceptions however; the rowdy "Comin' For Ya North Georgia Blues" in particular, as well as "New Pain," a track with a Dylan-like edge that the master himself might even have considered for "Blood On The Tracks," if indeed he could have taken credit. Likewise, "Just Came Back To Tell You I'm Leaving" sounds suited to Nashville, the TV show mainly, but certainly the city as well.

It's always exciting to make a discovery of this sort. "Eliot Bronson" reveals all we need to know about this gifted singer/songwriter.