Mark Erelli: For a Song

Mark Erelli has come a long way since the release of his 1999 self-titled debut album on Signature Sounds. Thirteen succeeding releases and 17 years of performing later and the already compelling singer-songwriter and staple of the indie folk scene has only refined his sound. On his fifth overall self-titled release, Erelli crafts yet another easy listen, ethereal and sincere in a style between both his composition and delivery that has previously had his work compared to such seminal artists as Paul Simon and Jackson Browne. Not unlike the aforementioned, Erelli flexes his songwriter’s muscle and proves his timelessness again and again, making no exception in For a Song.

What some may not remember is Erelli’s pedigree, having worked with the likes of Barnstar! and Jeffrey Foucalt over the past six years, and having released cover albums such as Milltown, which focuses on the collective work of Bill Morrissey, in-between. This marks Erelli’s first solo album full of original tunes since 2010, and it has most certainly been worth the wait. He proves himself yet again as a songwriter who should be celebrated as much as those that the industry is so eager to compare his work to. Arguably his work stands up to their legendary catalogs with his collection of charming, listenable, and altogether impeccable folk music. In regards to said music, too, For a Song genuinely stands among the best.