Bloggerhythms

Even though folk music is alive and well it's so far out of the mainstream these days that it's nearly invisible to those not actively searching for it. That's sad, because a lyrical talent such as Joe Crookston needs to be heard. The singer-songwriter has recorded four CDs (one is out of print) and he tours extensively. However, despite his hard work he is quite typical of most coffeehouse performers in that he has only acquired a small fan base. My introduction to Crookston was a free, eleven song, CD sampler I picked up at a John Gorka concert that contained tracks from those three CDs plus four other songs. Crookston has a very pleasing vocal style that easily allows the listener to dig deeply into a song and his sparsely but cleanly produced records are a perfect setting for his vocals. You do not need to strain to hear the lyrics from the Ithaca, NY native but you must concentrate to comprehend them. He writes about his family and the world around him. His...