Grant Sutton is an artist based in Chicago, IL since 1998. He’s played in a majority of bands during his musical career. This is Sutton’s first solo acoustic album. Titled Coffee with the dog, he packs in an intimate vibe, oftentimes with just him singing on his guitar as well as sounds of birds chirping since this was clearly early in the morning and when Sutton had set out to record most of these songs in his yard. Singing in close proximity to the mic and with just him on his guitar, gave this a very up-close-and-personal vibe. What Sutton has here are honest and profound acoustic songs that definitely felt very refreshing to these ears.
Coffee with the dog gets started with “25 to life,” where the sounds of birds chirping in the background adds a sort of ambience to the sound of the acoustic guitar. Sutton joins the guitar from the get-go. The sound is very immediate. The warmth coming from this recording made for an intimate performance. More acoustic guitar comes in on “Agree to disagree.” I was getting a country-bent twang here. Some dog barks and sounds of children chit-chatting adds some ambience to this acoustic track. Sutton’s vocals come in loud and clear alongside the guitar on “Times goes by fast.” The sound was once again warm and embracing. More appealing guitar chord progressions come in on “Be like dad.” The sparse and stripped back sound really made this song. More ambient sounds come from the guitar and Sutton’s harmonious vocals on “Watching you drown.” Sutton performs with feeling on this song. Fast guitar chord progressions come in on “Vampire girl.” I was reminded of a country hoe-down here. This upbeat and revved track comes in with some great energy as the comical lyrics reel you in. On “Bottle of booze,” once more Sutton comes in with some whimsical and comical lyrics for this track. This proved to be a drinking song, where the artist sings with warmth and feeling. There’s some reverb in this track with the sounds of a plane flying overhead. On “Always be my baby,” some sparse electric guitar riffs come into the start of this song. Sutton’s vocals arrive, brimming with melody and harmony. Next, the stripped back sound clears up for a full band undertaking. I thought this was a total 180 from the band.. I was getting ‘50s and ‘60s rock n’ roll vibes right away. Revved strumming on the acoustic guitar comes in on “No violence no revenge.” Once Sutton’s vocals enter, the old-timey and classic sense to his vocals arrives to great effect. I thought this was a flavorful and memorable way to end the album. Sutton says in his bio that he set out to write simple folk songs every morning first thing. Because, according to Sutton, early morning is when he feels he is at the peak of his creativity. Gradually, as the day goes on, he feels his creativity wans a little as he’s a little worn out by the workday and begins to second guess himself. So, to take advantage of the start of the day, he wakes up bright and early when the birds are still singing to do some field recordings on his phone. Not all the recordings on this album are field recordings, some are done in the studio, but all the same, Sutton manages to infuse the warmth of his acoustic set into these tracks as well. All in all, I think Sutton is able to pull off the sound he is going for. Coffee with the dog has it all here!
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