Don't Go Back to Sleep

It's not every day that a relatively unknown artist is recognized by the John Lennon Songwriting contest, but in 2006 that award was given to the Brooklyn, NY-based Chris Ayer in the folk category. Don't Go Back to Sleep is the singer-songwriters sophomore release, produced by Nashville-based Jason Gantt. Ayer's musical experiments on Don't Go Back to Sleep compliment his lyrics with sounds and styles that go beyond his familiar territory of folk, pop and rock. The instrumental moment at the end of "Awake" is reminiscent of the chiming of a Tibetan prayer bowl. The warbling tones of a vintage harmonium tell their own story on "The Revealing." And the decidedly un0bluegrass use of the banjo provides a quiet texture on the album's final track, "Highway Home."