Americana roots-pop from a Minneapolis singer-songwriter who brings along a ton of special guests from his hometown on this release, including members of the Jayhawks, Son Volt, Semisonic, the Honeydogs, and Zuzu's Petals.

14 MP3 Songs
ROCK: Americana, FOLK: Folk Pop



Details:
If you heard that a Minneapolis singer-songwriter had been named Songwriter of the Year in Minnesota in 2006, topping a field that included Grammy-winning, platinum-selling artist Dan Wilson (Semisonic, Dixie Chicks), youâd probably figure that singer-songwriter was pretty good, right? And what if that same Minneapolis singer-songwriter had also won Minnesotaâs Song of the Year award in 2005 and was called one of Austinâs top 15 songwriters in the 1995 Austin Music Poll, a list that included Alejandro Escovedo and Daniel Johnston? This guyâs got to be famous, right?

This same singer-songwriter must be huge if heâs opened for Morrissey, the Tragically Hip, Spoon, Rev. Horton Heat, Dwight Twilley, Soul Asylum, Fastball, Mason Jennings, Iris DeMent, Tommy Keene, Susan Cowsill, Amy Rigby, Todd Snider, Ike Reilly, Mary Lou Lord, Steve Wynn, Jon Dee Graham, Steve Poltz, Peter Himmelman, Curt Kirkwood (Meat Puppets), and Pat DiNizio (Smithereens), not to mention the so-uncool-theyâre-almost-cool Blue Oyster Cult, Foghat, and Rick Springfield. Right?

After all, surely you would have heard of somebody whoâs received positive press in national publications like No Depression and Paste; was recently mentioned in the Wall Street Journal; gets played regularly on XM radio and numerous major radio stations around the world; toured England; played the prestigious South by Southwest Music Conference several times; inked a licensing deal in Germany; sold thousands of copies of his CDâs; worked his way up the U.S. Americana charts; and has rabid fans in Europe, Japan, Australia, and all over the world. Right?

Well, there are a lot of reasons why the music industry is in freefall (and thatâs putting it mildly) these days, but one of them surely has to be its stubborn tendency to ignore the truly talented in favor of the truly mediocre. Representing the former category, Dan Israel seems to have been one casualty of that foolish approach. But that could all change with the release of Turning, Israelâs 9th (!) full-length CD, a star-studded collaboration that showcases Israelâs gripping blend of poignant lyrics and canât-get-them-out-of-your-head melodies in his most fully realized work yet. Featuring guest spots from Marc Perlman (Jayhawks, Golden Smog), Dave Boquist (Son Volt, Peter Bruntnell), John Munson (Dan Wilson, Semisonic, Trip Shakespeare, New Standards), Jessy Greene (Foo Fighters, Wilco, Jayhawks, the Minus Five, Doomtree, Golden Smog, Soul Asylum), Laurie Lindeen (Zuzuâs Petals), Peter J. Sands (Honeydogs, Tim OâReagan, Big Ditch Road), David J. Russ (Cultivators, E.L.nO., Conquerors), Martin Devaney, Janey Winterbauer (Astronaut Wife, Golden Smog), Randy Casey (Olâ Yeller, Luke Zimmerman), Jenny Fraser (Holiday Ranch, Katie McMahon), Andra Suchy (Honeydogs, Hookers ân Blow, the Dollys), Molly Maher, JoAnna James, Erik Brandt (Urban Hillbilly Quartet, Romantica), Kris Bowring (Cultivators), Tony Thomas (Anchorhead), John Schjolberg, and Jeff Kleinbaum, Turning might just be the record that finally turns heads and makes the world sit up and take full notice of Dan Israel. Or not.

Website: www.danisraelmusic.com or www.myspace.com/danisrael