Richard Buckner

One of America's most unrecognized songwriting talents, Richard Buckner tells dusty tales of fortune and failure with uncommonly disarming conviction. With a voice that seems to channel the heartsick and fallen ghosts condemned to stir from one empty shot glass to the next, Buckner entrances all in earshot with his captivating and beguilingly simple poetics. Like his literary style, his economical progressions find their targets quickly with immediate, wrenching timbres; and though often regarded as a staunchly traditional, Texas-influenced songwriter, Buckner has at various times chosen interesting, less conspicuous musicians to accompany him. Incorporating John McEntire's brilliant, self-editing drums (Tortoise, the Spinanes' Arches and Aisles), David Grubbs' multi-instrumental talents, and the Golden Palominos' Syd Straw, Buckner and Co. rallied in 1998 for Since -- an album tragically under-appreciated for its incredibly effective amalgamation of old and new.