Tales Of America
by J.S. Ondara

From buzzdainer TOP 100 COMMENTER 03/09/2020 20:01 | #248615

J.S. Ondara grew up in Nairobi listening to American rock music, which made him something of an outsider in his native Kenya. He moved to the United States in 2013 at the age of twenty, and chose Minnesota as the place where he would settle, in large part, because it's Bob Dylan's home state. That should give you at least a basic reference for the style of acoustic folk music Ondara makes, although what makes his music so special is the unique perspective on the American experience his lyrics have to offer. He is neither wide-eyed idealist nor hardened cynic, but someone who clearly sees to the heart of the great American paradox: its incredible promise balanced by its moral failings. His songs are beautiful, refreshing, haunting, deeply moving. I've never heard a folk album quite like one, and it might be a very long time before I hear another one this good.