P. K. Workman
Utah Sky
Self-Released
Street: 02.10
P. K. Workman =
Jay William Henderson + Duncan Sheik

Utah Sky has everything going for it, but it is a swing and a miss. Workman clearly knows what an alt-country or folk album sounds like, and, with some additional work, this album would be solid. The melodies are straightforward—they’re songs you’d expect to hear around a campfire. The layered guitar work is quite pleasing to the ear, but much like the vocal tracks, they have an overwhelming amount of reverb pasted over them. Workman’s lyrics straddle a line between tangible object and emotional concepts that left me more confused than in awe. He touches on nature, love, reminiscing— everything you expect to hear—but it’s all awash in incomprehensible simile and metaphor. Don’t get me wrong, I’m rooting for Workman—he’s got the talent—I just hope his next release has a few more hands in it and more con- crete lyrical content. –Alex Cragun