Grant-Lee Phillips Virginia Creeper COOKING VINYL Third solo effort from alt-country stalwart and former Grant Lee Buffalo frontman Last seen doing his best Bono impression on Paul Oakenfold’s 2002 Bunkka, Phillips returns to alt-country pop for Virginia Creeper. Opting for gentle, straight-ahead acoustic arrangements, the Californian’s gravel-like vocals envelop the album, while his well-travelled eyes ensure the lyrics are filled with knowing experience. Josephine Of The Swamps and Susanna Little find him weaving intricate stories over pianos and fiddles, while Wish I knew bumps along with jilted blues and a cover of Gram Parsons’s Hickory Wind provides a fitting closer. With Ryan Adams currently living out his stadium rock fantasies, this keeps the alt-country seat nicely warm. Paul Stokes

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