Griffin House

On his debut, Nashville newbie Griffin House shows a remarkably mature skill for songwriting, especially for a 24-year-old that only picked up a guitar when he went off to college half a dozen years ago. The disc opens with the melancholic, reflective song "Amsterdam.” Here House rhetorically asks "Can I change?/ Change the past?” and then answers emphatically with "I cannot change the past/ All of it’s done in Amsterdam.” Here, this bohemian city serves as the perfect metaphor for his regrets. The theme of the rest of the acoustically inclined disc deals with one form of regret or another. From his relationship with women ("Tell Me A Lie” and "Missed My Chance”) to his relationship with alcohol ("Waste Another Day,” with its telling line, "It happens on the beach/ When I’m drunk again and I don’t want to be”) the songsmith documents his struggle coming to terms with relationships, both good and bad. One of the best tracks shows another side of House when he examines race relationships and how in the beginning we are all the same. With rhythmic strumming keeping the time, House sings "Legend says our family tree grows black and white and Indian lives/ and if the history books are right, none of us are really white.” Overall, Lost and Found proves an engaging listen from a new voice in Nashville.