David Vandervelde

There’s no question David Vandervelde is a man who likes his rock’n’roll history. On the nomadic songwriter’s sophomore effort, Waiting for the Sunrise, the songs are simply brimming with the sound of the ’70s, but in a good way. Equipped with an impressive set of angelic, Bolan-esque pipes, Vandervelde breaks out ten rootsy, retro rockin’ tracks that set his voice to a more subdued AM radio vibe than the rough-edged boogie rock of his debut, The Moonstation House Band. Vandervelde also drops the solo routine this time around and brings along his backing band, the Lickedy Splitz, as well as ousted Wilco member Jay Bennett, who co-wrote the countrified "California Breezes.” In turn, all the extra bodies help Vandervelde trade much of his previous studio weirdness for a more direct, "it’s all about the songs” approach. And while Waiting for the Sunrise may suffer slightly in the variety department, it does show a more relaxed, introspective Vandervelde, one who rarely lets you down and holds his own on the dusty Americana highway.