Imagine a slightly warmer Neil Young, with a bit more wit and playfulness and you might get quite close to what you’re about to hear.  Really, bloody lovely.  And I’m so late reviewing this album, his next one comes out in about a week’s time, so there you go.

Actually I came across him entirely by accident on this gorgeous, gorgeous sampler from Boy Scout Recordings.   There’s so much good stuff on that CD it took me a while to get round to buying his album and, once I did, it took me a little longer to quite realise how lovely it is.

He’s described as emerging from New York’s anti-folk scene, but that description is becoming a bit silly these days.  DC informs me that it emerged over ten years ago when Lach was summarily dismissed from thefolk scene for having too punky an attitude.  This doesn’t wash at all with Cody, if you ask me.  His music is lovely and, although the nimble lyrics are a little left-field at times, there is nothing ‘anti’ folk about this sound.

Actually it is just an old-fashioned folky album with a slightly more upbeat strum to it than your usual morose minstrel.  In fact the light, airy delivery is one of the most pleasing aspects of this record – you can almost imagine the jaunty angle of the eyebrows as he sings – ironic, yet cheerful.

There are times when the slightly child-like (child-like, not child-ish) delivery doesn’t quite square with me.  Ida Blue, for example, is just a little too toy-town folksy for my taste, but most of this record is just gorgeous.  Arch and wel-executed enough to be interesting and definitely lovely enough to be a really engaging listen.  New album anticipated with excitement, then!

Turner Cody – Forever, Forever
Turner Cody – Suzannah
Turner Cody – Abaraxis Foyer

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