Just like David Gray before him, Idaho-born Josh Ritter has become a local hero in Ireland without any obvious support from either the media or the music industry. Now, with the release of his excellent second album, it's about time the rest of the world took notice. Leonard Cohen, Bruce Springsteen and Neil Young are his obvious inspirations, and at times the similarities are a little too close for comfort. Ritter, however, has a gruff lyricism and a facility for Gothic narratives that render him a fascinating personality in his own right. Warm, sincere and occasionally quite beautiful, Hello Starling is the album that should give this charming drifter the star status he so richly deserves. Watch it take flight.

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