Search - Neal Casal :: Sweeten the Distance

The first line of the title track on Neal Casal s tenth studio effort Sweeten the Distance says much about where the storied singer, songwriter and guitarist finds himself in his career. After 20 plus years of writing songs, recording albums and touring the world, there s a confidence and patience present in his latest work that reveals an artist in full creative flight. Produced by Thom Monahan Sweeten the Distance is indeed a defining moment in Casal s discography. Rich acoustic textures and sophisticated melodies of songs like Bird With No Name , Need Shelter and Gyrls of Wynter give way to a psyched out-ambience on White Fence Round House , Feathers For Bakersfield and How Quiet It Got . The depth of the production, with it s purposefully layered sounds and oceanic atmospherics makes Sweeten the Distance as much a multi-dimensional headphone experience as a soul-stirring modern songwriter record. And as such, Casal emerges as an essential voice in the New Cosmic California movement.