Rocky Votolato: Burning My Travels Clean

It’s been half a decade since Rocky Votolato’s Burning My Travels Clean landed him in the “next Elliott Smith” discussion group (alongside Conor Oberst and Denison Witmer). In the interim, Votolato has emerged as an artist comfortable with his roots and influences. Perhaps best known as the vocalist for Waxwing—the Seattle-based rock band featuring his brother Cody Votolato of The Blood Brothers—Rocky Votolato deserves accolades for a solo catalog that whispers Neil Young, Paul Westerberg and Ryan Adams without beating you over the head with it. Votolato’s latest recording is Makers, a sly nod towards both whiskey and spiritualism. While it isn’t a huge departure from Burning My Travels Clean, this Barsuk release shows a continued maturity in both song development and hooks. Makers’ best songs are its anchors: opener “White Daisy Passing” and the album-ending title track both show Votolato’s lyrical gift for meandering through life and death with heart in throat. With its quick, twinkling guitar line supporting Votolato’s half-gravel, half-angelic voice, the song “Uppers Aren’t Necessary” is fit for a Wes Anderson film. “She Was Only In It For The Rain” successfully utilizes both dark, backwoods acoustics and church organ. Traditionally words like “understated” and “honest” can be veiled kicks at a singer/songwriter, but Votolato’s music embraces those words as they are—without much fanfare. At his best, Votolato can be considered Pink Moon-era Nick Drake with guts and three fifths of Yukon Jack. At his worst, he’s just another songwriter trying to balance out his fetishes for Elliott Smith and Bob Dylan. For the most part, thankfully, you can find him nursing the former.