Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Download

This week’s installment of Free Music Friday features Kyle Wyley’s “This Mess,” a cut from his 2010 Album Simple Poor Boy. Wyley’s voice fits into the same vein as such southern story-tellers like Willie Nelson, but has a much more somber timbre. The album plays like a slowly approaching thunderstorm, full of low rumbles, whirling mandolin licks, and starkly beautiful lyrics. Opening track “This Mess” is no exemption, setting the mood for a pleasantly quiet listening experience.

With a striking glide across his acoustic guitar, Wyley smooths his thick voice into a story about heartbreak. “I don’t know what makes you different from the rest/but this time I don’t wanna get out of this mess.” Rooted in his lyrics is deep passion; you get the feeling that Wyley has experienced what he’s talking about firsthand. As the song climaxes into a lush melody of strings and vocal counterparts, Wyley’s story unfolds further. Deep bass notes puncture the rhythm, whose only aid is distant percussion slaps and swelling cymbals. It’s the space between the choruses that really make the song, quietly contemplating familiar memories to soothing acoustic guitar chords. The chorus continues to build thunderously with no end in sight, until finally the storm breaks and leaves you wondering where all that power came from. Finally, as strings drizzle into the background, Wyley brings us to the realization that his storm is one to sit and listen to and not run from.

Check out more of Kyle Wyley’s music at his official website.