Ernie Hendrickson: Walking With Angels

If James Taylor and John Denver got together over a long weekend and wrote some good (but not legendary) songs, the results would sound much like Ernie Hendrickson’s new sophomore album, Walking With Angels. That is to say Hendrickson, a mellow singer-songwriter from Illinois, makes the kind of courteous music that shipped gold once upon a time, even though he is still mining his muse for stand-out melodies among the glut of singer-songwriter competition. Working in his favor are a poised tenor voice and the tasteful production of Bo Ramsey — it has been a good year for him, as he has done exemplary work for the Pines as well — creating a soothing country-rock album of acoustic guitar and pedal steel. The highlight: the comfy “Easy Lovin’”, a song guaranteed to be inoffensive to every family member and sweet enough to establish Hendrickson as a singer-songwriter to watch.