Andy Palmer – Hazard of the Die

3 stars out of 5

After Bob Dylan went through his vocal puberty from the classic folk singer to emerge as the deep-voiced, chain-smoking musician we still love today, he left behind a bit of his vocal range. Andy Palmer’s voice is reminiscent to this oddly attractive throaty sound Dylan has mastered in recent years, plus a few notes on the scale. Opening track “The Monk” allows him to slowly introduce the listener to the strange Tom Waits/late-Dylan sound combination while demonstrating his ability to hit a few high notes. Admittedly, while Palmer sits at a high level of talented musicianship, his deep growl does become somewhat tiresome throughout the record. Hazard of the Die hint at a few stories of Palmer’s extremely interesting life, including his time spent in a yurt in near solitude in the middle of a Maine winter and during his months spent in silent meditation at a Buddhist meditation retreat. Catch the Denver-based artist on number of upcoming dates throughout the Front Range.