Little Songs
is a purposefully diminutive title that could be interpreted as a dose of false modesty from
Colter Wall
. It also could be seen as a sign of the country singer's limited imagination. Now four albums deep into a career that ambles and rambles,
Wall
is sticking to his fusion of
Johnny Cash
and
Waylon Jennings
, murmuring in a baritone over shuffles, two-steps, blues, and folk songs.
and his band expertly evoke mid-century country tropes, doing a little bit of everything from Texas honky tonk to Bakersfield twang, but it's telling that the two memorable songs aren't written by
. Old
Ian Tyson
Hoyt Axton
tunes do a better job of articulating his aesthetic than
himself, which suggests that all his period flair and plainspoken delivery are just affectations. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine