Yeah, it’s really that good!Boulder singer/songwriter

Ben Jordan comes alive withthis release, Ghosts BreathingThrough Our Strings — his firstfull-length with his band TheHeathens.

Since his vagabond days, before he settled inColorado, Jordan has surrounded himself withtop-notch musicians and on this release he out-does himself. With accompaniment by FrontRange session staples, drummer Brian McCrae(e-town, Yonder Mountain String Band) and gui-tarist Jack Leahy (The Paper Stars, Gregory AlanIsakov), Jordan takes his acoustic guitar soundand gives it a depth that he could never achieve onhis own. That sound is significantly flushed outby Adam MacDougal of The Black Crowes onpiano, Rhodes, Wurlitzer and B3.

But even MacDougal’s famous pedigree isovershadowed by the final element that makesthis album so impressive — the blend of vocalsbetween Jordan and Jess DeNicola (JohnCommon and the Blinding Flashes of Light, JenKorte and the Loss).

Jordan and DeNicola compliment each otherperfectly and that, combined with tales of traveland love, hearken back to the musical relationshipbetween Ryan Adams and Caitlin Cary, that madeWhiskeytown such an enthralling and beautifulact.

Just like Whiskeytown, Jordan and theHeathens play a rock/alt-country blend that mightnot really be country, but is definitely somethingthat you could wear cowboys boots to. The matu-rity that Jordan has gained in his several soloalbums leading up to this release is shown in deeplyrics which refuse to date themselves, but seemto be from generations ago.

Recorded in several studios, both local andelsewhere, Jordan kept the production of thealbum very local, indeed. Ghosts BreathingThrough Our Strings was co-produced, mixed,mastered and engineered by local studio ownerMorgan Harris. Photos and art direction were pro-vided by local friends Tyler Rose and LindsayHolmes, and even Bolder Ink owner Lance Talongot in on the action, supplying one of his paint-ings for the cover.

The album is not only a great project for theband but, as it turns out, a great project for thelocal music community that came together for it.Jordan is great singer/songwriter, but without allof the other elements coming together on thisproject, the album could have been just anotherrelease.

Thank God it’s not.— Brian F. Johnson

Ben Jordan & The HeathensGhosts Breathing Through Our Strings

Crying Soul Music✯✯✯✯✯ out of ✯✯✯✯✯

26 The Marquee • July, 2010