Do you remember the first time you heard a certain singer’s voice that completely knocked the wind out of your chest and left you searching for air to choke down and regain stability? The last time that moment happened to me stands very vivid in my mind. It wasn’t all that long ago. Only two or three months back I was at The Sinclair to see Mandolin Orange, but it wasn’t the usual suspect in the harmonies of Emily Frantz and Andrew Marlin that took the wind from my sails and left me stranded in a still sea of disbelief, it was their guitarist Josh Oliver who truly blew me away.

For the duration of that evening Oliver took the sideman stance, adding in some great guitar color and a few killer solos and lending some third harmonies to the terrific set. The band then gathered around the central Ear Trumpet Lab Edwina and the duo gave the spotlight to Josh for a tune and the first word out of his mouth elicited a roar of applause from the crowd sharing in the same excitement and shock of his incredible voice that I had.

I am just digging into Josh’s solo catalogue but “Ain’t Over Til Its Over” from his 2014 release “Part of Life” is sticking with me. The record features both Frantz and Marlin throughout but Josh’s trembling tenor with its intricate vulnerability is the stronghold of the entire collection of tunes. The track bobs and sways with acoustic instruments dazzling over a piano and percussive upstroke stringed beat that drives things forwards, the harmonies intertwining and dancing with the instrumentation. A simple arrangement that is delicate and soft when it needs to be, but the harmonies really kick in hard and elevate the spirit and mood of the song. This guy is fantastic singer-songwriter with a voice that induces chills at every turn. Check him out today.

It ain’t over til its over / there ain’t nothing left to hide