Riverside’s Walter Cabal. (David Mendoza III/Contributed Image)
I’m revealing my favorite local releases of 2012 here at the blog. Here’s a link to everyone who made the list so far. I’ll be revealing two artists each day. You can see the full list, plus the more than honorable mentions in the Dec. 28 edition of The Press-Enterprise in the Guide section.
Now, onto the music:
Walter Cabal
“Between Lines”
Walter Cabal wants listeners to really think about his music and the Riverside singer-songwriter’s debut is packed with well-crafted songs with some really genuine, thought-provoking lyrics.
The music has some jangling alt-country as well as ballads and some radio-friendly pop-rock reminiscent of early Coldplay and Counting Crows.
Title track “Between Lines” is one of the shining points on the record, but “Copper Courage” tells a powerful story.
Very thoughtful and a delight to interview, Walter is one of the first artists I interviewed in 2012 and helped set the bar so high for the releases to come.