Album Review: Iron and Wine - Kiss Each Other Clean

Iron & Wine (Samuel Bean to his mother) is on a mission and this is apparent to anyone who has been following his work. He started as a gentle folk troubadour and has been traveling down the road towards higher production values and borderline-mainstream recognition, even if his material is still gentle in nature. 2007’s ‘Shepherd’s Dog’ was a bold step towards this goal, sounding more full and electric than any of his previous offerings. ‘Kiss Each Other Clean’ is then the logical progression from there and the sound he is pursuing is just getting bigger. The key components of indie-minded folkestry are still in play; acoustic guitars, upright bass, and tambourines are still the order of the day. In fact, much of the album has the same key components as the blessed-out country rock of more recent My Morning Jacket albums. At its most energetic ‘Kiss Each Other Clean’ never exceeds the pace of the Eagles which suits the beautiful music perfectly.

Click here to continue reading this review of Iron & Wine's new album...