It’ll probably be considered heresy to say, but when I first heard Chuck Ragan’s Feast or Famine -- specifically “The Boat” -- all I could think was “this is what he should have been doing all along.”

Don’t get me wrong; I love Hot Water Music. I’ve followed them since No Division and I celebrate their entire catalog. But something about Ragan’s solo material is different. Something about it is truly special in a way that most other singer-songwriters can’t even hope to understand. He feels so comfortable. So at home. [more]