A story teller as all those folk singer-songwriters who have come before him, layered in a lush, progressive, alternative sound.

10 MP3 Songs in this album (44:30) !
Related styles: FOLK: Alternative Folk, FOLK: Folk Pop

People who are interested in Cat Stevens Nick Drake Mason Jennings should consider this download.


Details:
A perpetual smile and welcoming relaxed attitude may be the status quo for the singer-songwriters of late. Artists such as Bon Iver and Jack Johnson bring us insightful storylines through thoughtful lyrics and approachable melodies and harmonies. Collin Whelley enters this genre with a talent for songwriting with more than a melody, but also with a message.

In 2006, Collin Whelley headed to Bolivia shortly after graduation from the University of Dayton, to work with the Centro de Desarrollo en Energía Solar (CEDESOL) organization and with Sobre la Roca, for the development and implementation of both the âRocket Stoveâ and solar cooking technology for the people of rural Bolivia. The goal was to combat indoor air pollution, also known as IAP, which according to the World Health organization leads to 1.6 million premature deaths each year. While there, he helped not only make great progress in establishing âThe Bolivia Projectâ as a globally recognized effort in combating IAP, but Collin also was greatly affected by the experience. He has given us Waiting In Bolivia to tell us of his experience.

ââ[Iâve got the] Wand [and Youâve Got the Beat]â was the first song that I wrote in Bolivia and was about the first cooker course I participated in. The âtwo little girls and one little boyâ are actual children whose mother participated in a course,â Whelley comments in referring to his second track on the album. Influenced by artists such as Nick Drake, Cat Stevens, Richie Havens, and Mason Jennings, Collin Whelleyâs music is lyrically driven, where his vocal melodies mix with a range of musical moods throughout the album.

The album reaches its darkest mood when Whelley calls out to a âGunner Boy,â and talks of seeing war torn slums in Rio di Janeiro. While traveling in South America, it is easy see the effects of international drug and gun trading, and how it affects the people of the region. Whelley captures the story well in this emotional yet simple track. In the song âAugustine,â the story of Felix, a prisoner in El Abra prison with whom Whelley worked with in a rehabilitation program, talks of his reformation and talks to oneâs ability to chose a new compassionate path in life.

âWaiting,â the final track on the album leaves the listeners with a message that his work is not yet complete. Collin Whelley is currently an outreach worker at the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, spending his days on the street meeting chronically homeless individuals and working with them towards finding housing and other goals. Whelley says about his current work, âIt can be a dangerous and extremely taxing, but the outreach team are incredibly inspired and hard working people.â In September he is headed to Ethiopia for a one year program to help develop a school in the town of Adigrat. In an effort to help the program that inspired his music, Collin Whelley and the record label Easta Green Music will contribute 10 of all album sales to The Bolivia Project. On speaking about his continued work with humanitarian efforts Whelley says, âWhen I came home from Bolivia I told reporters that The Bolivia Project will serve as an example of the kind of work I will be invested in for the rest of my life. I am keeping that promise I made to myself.â