Killer on the Road

Personnel: Brandon Butler; Amy Domingues (cello, piano).
Brandon Butler, who in the mid-1990s was the singer with Midwestern emo band Boy's Life, started pursuing a more countrified outlet for his considerable songwriting talents after that band's split. Butler's first solo album, KILLER ON THE ROAD, features a pared-down production that highlights his expressive vocals (whose approximation of a high lonesome wail often recalls Loudon Wainwright or Neil Young), and, on songs like "Throwing Roses" and "Sparks," his casual way with beautiful melodies. The high-octane boogie of "Next Time" conjures a punkier Steve Earle, while the album's title track and "Good Intentions" both have a lovely cello accompaniment that spirits them away from their alt country origins.