These days, there are as many country-rocking singer / songwriters as there are baristas in LA with head shots. So Chris Wollard’s solo debut, & The Ship Thieves, isn’t going to grab anyone by the lapels like Andy Dick on a bender; its charm is a longer game. Wollard’s moody, drawling croon wins your confidence slowly with each successive encounter. Though largely driven by folksy, acoustic strumming, Wollard does tap the electricity of his day jobs (HOT WATER MUSIC & THE DRAFT) for the ringing power-pop opener “No Exception” and “All The Things You Know.” Songs like these contribute to the [album’s] steady momentum, as Wollard mixes it up without muddying the disc’s reflective tone. This attitude is epitomized by the jangly album highlight “Oh Whatever” with its self-indicting chorus. The arrangements are prim without being austere, placing Wollard’s diffident, shuffling vocals center stage. The album feels as breezy as it does wistful, and lingers like memories of summer vacation. 

1. No Exception
2. Reason In My Rhyme
3. The Same To You
4. In The Middle Of The Sea
5. Up To The Moon
6. All The Things You Know
7. Oh, Whatever
8. You Always Leave
9. The High Water
10. Hey B