Rejoicing in the Hands

Rejoicing In The Hands is the first of two Devendra Banhart albums to be released this year on Young God Records. (The second album, Nino Rojo, will be released in late September '04.) Devendra recorded these 32 songs in a living room, using the best possible vintage gear, in a house on the Alabama/Georgia border. With only a few mics capturing the scene, you get Banhart's stripped-down, beautiful warble (along with the occasional chorus of cicadas, when he recorded at night, with the windows open), some amazing finger-picking, and his uncanny ability to transport us, through story/words, just using his acoustic guitar and voice. As Todd Barry of Jaded Times says, "Not to be outdone by his vocals, his guitar work rivals it in character and timelessness. With rhythms that seem as equally rooted in the works of Django Reinhardt as Simon and Garfunkel, Banhart successfully achieves a beautiful and powerful sound, with emotion, playfulness, and thematic prowess that will leave aspiring songwriters jealous and drooling. A beautiful, raw, and emotive release."