“Zachary Cale is the best singer-songwriter working right now. Period.” -POP MATTERS read more…
“Four albums in and Zachary Cale has mastered the art of modern day country crooning. A troubadour with roots in Louisiana, although he’s now to be found in Brooklyn, Cale flits effortlessly from joyful and rousing to soft and melancholic, always poetic, always poignant and continually captivating.” -END OF THE ROAD FESTIVAL
__________________________________________________________________
Love Everlasting 7″:
“Zachary Cale is one of the only alt-country/Americana artists I bother to follow, and he hasn’t let me down yet. Don’t even get me started on that Illuminations LP; the guy has done his homework. “Love” sounds like it could have been recorded during Lennon’s lost weekend, but that’s almost giving it short shrift. This is a powerful, slow shuffle toward the sun as death stalks from the shade, constructed of layered acoustic guitar, distant electric-guitar flourishes and backup vocals, bass that propels the ship forward, and drums simpler than a game of tic-tac-toe. Cale has done it before, and he’s doing it again; don’t let the sun go down on this heavy-ass 7-inch before you get a copy.” -TINY MIX TAPES
“…he is certainly a talent as a composer and lyricist, his reedy, hangdog style supported by songs that are pure class. When the rest of the world will take notice is anyone’s guess, but this music will wait for you all to catch up.” -STILL SINGLE/DUSTED MAGAZINE
““Love Everlasting”, a drunken waltz that sounds like a humbler Jonathan Fire*Eater, feeling pretty bad tomorrow morning but pretty great tonight. “Hallelujah Kid” is a finger-plucked delight, just waiting for the perfect sensitive indie-twee movie to come along and pick it up as the centerpiece of its soundtrack. Serious “driving across country to propose to her” song here.” -YELLOW GREEN RED
__________________________________________________________________
Noise of Welcome:
“Cale has steadily worked the light back into his music on Noise Of Welcome, the stark beauty of his earlier work succeeded by a set of shimmering songs delivered by a band, but still set to poetry like Dylan or Cohen. It’s ambitious, the way great music has to be, and Cale comes out of it as both accomplished soloist and band leader.” -THE LINE OF BEST FIT read more…
“There’s no denying the liberation in making a record that sounds this full, and so full of purpose and promise.” -DUSTED MAGAZINE read more…
“With fleet fingerpicking, languid ballads and country-tinged dust ups, Zachary Cale works along the folk rock divide recalling beloved troubadours like Michael Chapman, Bob Dylan and John and Beverly Martyn.” -WFMU
“…memorable as a favorite scene in a favorite movie and eternal as the sun. With Zach Cale what you get is what you feel; anything more or less would be illusory.” -TINY MIX TAPES read more…
“New York transplant, Zachary Cale’s folk sound is as beautifully raw as they come. Local audiences enjoy quietly reflective ballads from this shaggy haired musician. His unusual voice and poetic songwriting are pleasantly welcomed surprises.” -CBS NEW YORK
“Although steeped in acoustic Americana, Zachary Cale separates himself from the crowd with a rare balance between emotional depth and ankle-deep Kinks pop sensibilities.” -THE A.V. CLUB
“Cale has perfected a kind of avant-folk craziness that never sounds precious” -THE NASHVILLE SCENE
“Zachary Cale is one of those unassuming guys who, once heard, earns your undying loyalty.” -THE BROOKLYN PAPER
“Zachary Cale is a Brooklyn songwriter of uncommon power” -THE RAWK BLOG
“The songs that he wrote for his latest and best album, Noise of Welcome are configures of the riddles that he finds himself wracked by on a daily basis. They are the kinds of thoughts that come at a truly contemplative man when he gives himself over to those good chunks of solitude that seemingly scare the daylights out of us, but actually allow us to figure some things out… It’s music that makes you imagine – or recognize – time slipping by like rolling highway scenery.” -DAYTROTTER read more…
——————————–
DAYTROTTER SESSION (May 2011) – live audio and artist feature
Interview with VOLUME 1 BROOKLYN read more…
Artist feature and Interview with GO FOLK YOURSELF read more…
——————————–
“it’s clear that for this guy his music does most of the talking. He takes his cue from the open tuning of guitarists like John Fahey and Bert Jansch who often played about with atmospherics to augment their folk and blues tunes. Folk music has that strange ability to shock and surprise” -TASTY (live @ The Windmill -London, UK) read more…
“[Zachary Cale] immediately changed the pace of the evening. Such was the intimacy of this concert, it was as if people held their breath collectively and the room closed in on him. His performance was narcotic and captivating and had a kind of dreamy, ambien-laced grace at all times… He is a truly gifted man.” -THE MEZCAL TRAIL (@ The Heeley Institute -Sheffield, UK) read more…
“Zachary Cale’s music sticks to you like gritty, summer dust well past the first listen” -THE OWL MAG
“Noise Of Welcome is an understated collection of stunning, orchestral beauty.” -CAUGHT IN THE CAROUSEL
“[Zachary Cale] has that rare talent of being able to make you forget what else is going on around you and immerse yourself fully in the world he creates – superb.” -THE MAD MACKERAL
“The album (Noise of Welcome) retains Cale’s signature sound, which recalls Oh Mercy-era Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen. Finger-picked guitar and easygoing percussion provide the backdrop for Cale’s searching, subtly biting vocals. Yet this new album also shows exciting growth, with a broader vocal range and more experimental production.” -THE BEACON PASS
__________________________________________________________________
Come Quietly single:
“Contemporary psych/folk anchored by amazing songwriting.” -WFMU
“Cale has that perfectly imperfect world-weary voice—like there’s a frog caught in his throat, but he has so much wisdom to share, he’s not going to let that stop him from singing.” -L MAGAZINE
“Zachary Cale’s voice has a sardonic and cutting edge to it that brings to mind at times Current 93’s David Tibet or Comus’ Roger Wootton, which stops the well constructed melodies from being merely pretty and floating off into the clouds.” -STILL SINGLE/DUSTED MAGAZINE
“Outside of the new Tallest Man on Earth, these have to be two of the best new folky sounding songs I’ve heard all year. Killer tracks.” -OTHER MUSIC
“There’s a certain gruff waver to Cale’s voice, the way it bites at the edge of your eardrum that hefts it out of the standard doldrums of a man with a guitar. Real emotion lives in the vocals Cale projects, and his ruminations on love and its numerous varied outcomes, good bad ugly, have a tangible weight to them.” -SOUND ON THE SOUND
__________________________________________________________________
See-Saw (Illuminations):
“See Saw is the best album I’ve reviewed for Still Single, hands down… You think it’s easy to operate within the confines of Americana/roots-rock/alt-country without coming off as insufferable slummers or instantly-forgettable rural action figures? It isn’t, but Illuminations do this … perfectly. As a closing clarifier, See Saw dabbles in enough Elephant Six-isms and dressed-down indie rock to carry a wide appeal. If this band sticks to it, they will be huge. You know … in a good way.”
-STILL SINGLE/DUSTED MAGAZINE
“While See-Saw plays perfectly normal, if slightly buzzed, what makes Illuminations exceptional is their no-fear strokes at epicness; the woozy into raging anthem endgame of “Rising,” the seven-minute tin-pan hymnal of “We All Say Goodnight,” and the constantly atmospheric vibe of “Laundry List” could compete with any lukewarm fuzzies induced by the globe’s current crop of stadium cozies (Coldplay, Kings of Leon, Snow Patrol). That might ring hollow, but that only means they deliver genuine pop songs through grand gestures. Unlike those bands, this seems in earnest with no self-importance attached. -THE AGIT READER
__________________________________________________________________
Walking Papers:
“Hands down one of the best albums of the past 20 years. No question, no exaggeration.” - David Correll – SACRED BONES
“Zachary Cale is a songwriter’s songwriter, as prolific as he is original. His voice can be delicate for love or wry for satire. The ability to hear what is in a song has guided him well in the making of his own.” -WFMU
“Spare, chilly, indie soundtrack-worthy folk that nods to its influences without attempting to revive them.” -WNYC
“Playing solo and with full band accompaniment, this loner/Leonard Cohen acolyte plays an accomplished guitar and writes serious lyrics with poetic depth.” -STILL SINGLE/DUSTED MAGAZINE
“Dark, chilly folk that’s as beautifully modern as it is solidly rooted in its influences.” -KJHK
__________________________________________________________________
Outlander Sessions:
“Cale (no relation to John or J.J. from what I gather) comes across on the straightahead folk-stone tip, languishing in the lazy glow of coal heat against cold skin. He’s a good guitarist, a fine songwriter somewhere between a Doug Martsch type and a heartbroken Tim Hardin” -STILL SINGLE/DUSTED MAGAZINE
