Iron & Wine -Woman King EP

It’s pure coincidence that the day I announce that Iron and Wine’s “Woman King” is one of my favorite albums of the year, that I also am on my way to the Congress Theatre to see the Iron and Wine and Calexico show in Chicago.

I have to admit that as a songwriter, Sam Beam is one of my absolute favorites, and I’ve been waiting to see him in concert for a long time. I don’t know how many phone calls and e-mails I’ve sent to Sam, his management, promotors, etc begging them to have a Iron and Wine show anywhere in Wisconsin. When the tour with Calexico was announced for the “In The Reins” tour, It was clear that I would be making the drive to Chicago to see the show. I became even more excited when Frank at Chromewaves.net put up a stunning review with pictures of a recent tour stop in Toronto.

“Woman King” is great on so many levels. The addition of multi-layed percussion, louder sound, and the songs themselves are just perfect. ‘My Lady’s House’ is without a doubt one of the songs that I have listened to the most in 2005. I’m really happy that Sam Beam is a writing machine, because he’s yet to put out anything that I haven’t loved.

What the critics say:

Coke Machine Glow – 86%
Tiny Mix Tapes – 5/5
Pitchfork – [8.5]

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You can see the rest of my 2005 favorites (so far) by clicking here.