That voice has plenty of real-world charm, and just enough of Taj Mahal's blues range to give it both a lazy smoothness and honest authenticity. Bell is an excellent writer. Vince Bell is clearly a man with goodly amounts of both in his soul. What seems to happen is that melody no longer rules the song. The results are stunning.
Melody becomes somehow more beautiful.
Lyric reaches dramatic energies untapped since the death of the western bardic traditions - except perhaps by rap and hiphop. It is transcendently beautiful. And every bit as modern as any music working today. The one I've been waiting for since Paul Simon made miracles with Graceland. This past Tuesday Vince Bell released his terrific sophomore effort, Texas Plates , on Paladin Records.