On Matt Cranstoun‘s The Last Drop of Color, you’ll learn a lot about trains. From describing the exits in New Jersey in ‘These Tires,’ to the righteous indignation of ‘Disgrace,’ there’s a lot of comings and goings throughout. But all of these trains find their way back up to Cranstoun’s adopted city of Brooklyn eventually. A homespun poet with a gift for the kind of Americana that Springsteen used to bring, Cranstoun is etching the gospel to New York’s buildings and leaving us with some endearing experiences as naked as his revealing shot on the album’s cover. This is an artist whose power comes from his range, showing on ‘Aint Dead Yet’ that he can handle funk and blues as well as he tears down the rafters in album opener ‘5th Street Lights.’ Get Matt’s latest at his bandcamp and you’ll find yourself traveling too. – Mike Levine
