Bay area based singer/ songwriter Forest Sun is poised to follow his groundbreaking debut "Not Afraid" with his sophomore release "Plenty": a collection of songs that that further establishes his singular artistry and broadens the stroke of his seamless, deceptively simple interweaving of roots, jazz, folk, gospel, soul and speakeasy blues.

     A vagabond at heart, Forest will finally be returning to the road in support of the new disk- a welcome change after being nested in the Bay Area cooking up the fledgling indie imprint, Painted Sun Records.

     Fans in Europe and the US who fell hard for Sun's soulful singing, poignant lyrics, and consummate musicianship on one of his criss-crossed, inter-continental treks in '99 and '00 should not have to wait longer to see Sun wringing out the new tunes on stage.

     Forest brings a naked, unaffected soul to his writing, playing and singing, which give every note and word he drops a simple conviction that just can't be faked or affected. That sort of emotional honesty and his ability to bring his personality to bare on a multitude of musical styles is a rare commodity in music these days. This is what makes comparisons to other musical mavericks like Van Morrison, Paul Simon, Ricki Lee Jones and Lyle Lovett inevitable, and appropriate.

     Whether gliding bitter-sweetly in 3/4 time, battered in Stax-like southern soul, or drenched in "prohibition gin", Forest Sun songs sound like ...Forest Sun. Any of those aforementioned heroes will tell you, in the end, that's the one distinction that counts... and lasts.

LISTEN

     Sometimes a nondescript CD from an unfamiliar artist shows up in the WW offices in a plain plastic clamshell case, devoid of any packaging or promotional material. What's much more rare is when the sounds that rise out of said disc emerge with a fully formed musical vision and immediately resonate soulful authenticity and an effortless cool. Believe me, I don't lightly invoke Van Morrison's name, but that's whose early work came to mind when I first heard Forest Sun, along with more recent reverences like Chris Whitely and Shawn Mullins. It's not every winter's day that a Sun comes up to Portland from down California way/ I, for one, welcome the opportunity to bask in this one's warm glow.

J.R.
Willamette Week Feb 6, 2002
Portland Oregon

     The folksy, soulful approach of this Northern California singer-songwriter has drawn comparisons to the early work of Van Morrison. This Sun seems likely to shine on a path of his own.

-- The Oregonian

    This Bay area singer/songwriter tromps through Uniontown like a true vagabond - carrying the heart of music in his knapsack - roots, jazz, folk, gospel, soul and speakeasy blues.

--Hipfish
Ashland, OR

     "Forest Sun is the real thing. His songs are life affirming and joyful and you can only do that as a songwriter when it's a genuine expression of your heart."

-Mark Eitzel  

     Maybe the thing not to do when listening to Forest Sun's new record "Plenty" is bother yourself trying to trace the dazzling, sometimes dizzying array of musical genres and traditions mined and ingeniously woven throughout this collection of songs. It's tempting to do, and some folks will certainly succumb to their inner music-geek and make the attempt. If so, they'll have to be on pretty good terms with most of the American music made in the dearly departed 20th century, and have a good bit of international know-how to boot. I think Mr. Sun would agree with me when I say that this sort of exhaustive musicology isn't really the point. Although Forest is a stunning multi-instrumentalist with deep-rooted command over a variety of instruments and styles that find their way onto this record (see the mournful delta slide-guitar of "Plenty" or the irresistible, Latin tinged guitar-hook of "Alchemy" ) he is a songwriter and composer first, and brings his command of so many genres and manifold chops to bare only in service of his songs… there's no jam-band, chops-for-chops sake noodling to be found on "Plenty." Luckily, Forest has enough soul and unaffected, emotional honesty in his song-writing to hold his patchwork of styles happily together.

     Forest has been compared to Lyle Lovett, Taj Mahal and Ricki Lee Jones among others, and those comparisons seem well-founded, not so much because he sounds much like any of them, but more for an ethic they share -- that each song is an entirely distinct vessel and that it's the songwriter's job to have a broad enough musical palette to fit the peculiar emotional demands of a given "story." Hence, the joyous, clarinet (clarinet!) propelled, speakeasy romp of "My Queen" is absolutely right for the winking, light comedy of the tune, just as greasy Hammond B-3 pads and rock-steady, R&B drumming perfectly buoy the triumphant (and chart-ready) melody of "No Anchor." Special mention must be made of the Indian spiced guitar line that snakes through " Wishing Well," and the exquisite Tabla playing that complements this brooding, ambitious song. Again, though, this is not a "my grandparents went to New Delhi and all they got me was this lousy sitar so I guess I'll use it on my record" moment. Hearing the tune, you automatically can't imagine any other instruments serving as the musical bedding for it's melancholic, hard-gained wisdom.

     With "Plenty," Forest Sun has achieved a marriage that seems to elude many chasing a similar laurel: that of first-rate, lyrical musicianship and a batch of songs that are damn well worth such heady playing.

-Anthony Klapp
Midwest music Journal

 
     "A strong, heartfelt composition which blends folk, gospel, soul, blues, and jazz. Fans of Ben Harper or Van Morrison, pay attention!"

-Cdbaby 

     "Here is an honest artist ...beautiful lyrics, straight-forward, willing to put it all on the line. Nice, easy rhythms, many with a great twist, all backing lyrics that show why the indie artists are always the ones with the straightest message. The ones that speak truths that will endure our lifetimes and beyond."

-AirMusic 

June 18, 1999


      I met Forest during the Tibetan Freedom concert in Amsterdam Holland. I was introduced buy the promoters of the whole show. I was a camera operator who got stuck filming a three hour outdoor concert without a tripod. Forest helped me wrangle cable for the first few acts then excused himself. To my surprise he appeard on stage to perform a short set. It was fantastic. As a person, he is humble, and straightforward, his music tells stories that immediately deliver you to a highly relfective state. He is a truly talented and very special musician. Give him a chance, let yourself go, you won't regret it.

Jan Eckhard, Digital Club Network

March 11, 1999


      Sun's recent albums is one of the most sincere and enjoyable albums I have heard in a long time. His clever lyrics combined with wholesome musical arrangements make for an album that's simply a pleasure to listen to. Sun uses a diverse mix of styles (rock, folk, county, funk) yet maintains a comforting sense of consistancy throughout. From the slower ballads to the more up-beat tunes, it is clear that Sun's songwriting is central to the album. The excellent musicianship of all the players further supports Sun's well crafted lyrics.

     Unlike many debut albums, Sun's album does not try to "prove" anything. Rather, Sun presents a mature collection of good songs, sensational performances, and an overall enjoyable atmosphere. I've had the CD in my player for two weeks now and I suspect it will remain there for many weeks to come.

     I must congratulate Sun for a very impressive first album and I am eagerly awaiting the next one. For anyone who is looking for a dose of solid songwriting and hearty musicianship, I would suggest "Not Affraid".

Zach Richards, Amazon.com

AMG EXPERT REVIEW:

     Forest Sun — his real name — is a Bay Area songwriter who inhabits a musical world populated by the spirits of ghosts and peers and somehow in his songs manages to keep all those identities separate from his. Indeed, in these ten small gems, Sun offers the Muse the gift of his voice to write and sing though. Traces of rock & roll's past, present, and hopefully future mingle with progressive folk music, textured, moody pop, and a healthy sense of literary finesse. These elements wind together in these songs much as they do in the better work of Joseph Arthur, the groove/soul of Terry Callier, the British Isles progressive folk and rock styles of Paul Brady and early John Martyn, and even the occasional restless country-soul of Lefty Frizzell. The set opens with "Alchemy," a prayer so pure in its humility and so fierce in its lurid delivery it could only have been born from the bosom of rock. Sun's electric and acoustic guitars meet Daniel Schact's elliptical bass line in a dance of yearning. As if to underline the importance of words like: "Love will lay down like a lion at our feet/Your eyes tell the story/That your words can't hide." Dan Foltz's rumbling drums meet the florid percussive interludes of Sun's own congas that accent the end of each line. Another standout is "Red Umbrella," which holds the Celtic soul-brother sung poetics of Van Morrison to the flame of slippery blues and a Caribbean shuffle. It's an easy, deep soul love song (or lust song) that for once puts the low-belly beat inside the body of the tune's lyric concerns. In fact, if it wasn't for Sun's sensual vocal delivery and subtle groove sensibility that allows Matt Henry Cunitz's B3 and Alex Budman's saxophones to waft their way through the middle of the cut, heating up the mix all around the singer, it would just be another folk love song instead of a languid, dripping seduction number. This cat has what it takes to make a mark, if only in a limited way like Dave Carter and Tracey Grammer or perhaps, if he's lucky, a writer like Chris Smither. Sun's music is timeless, which is both its greatest asset and its greatest drawback. Plenty is as fine a singer/songwriter record as is out there. Check it out for yourself: www.paintedsun.com.

— Thom Jurek, All Music Guide

The Local Planet Weekly June 20, 2002

     There are times when one positively reels at the gross injustices in the world --- poverty, hunger, Middle Eastern tomfoolery, war, reality TV, natural disasters, and the fact that Dave Matthews gets gobs of fawning press and the adoration of fans everywhere while Foreest Sun toils under relative obscurity.

     Who? Exactly. But you read it here first: PLENTY, Sun's newest album, is on eof the best CDs of 2002, and no, it really doesn't matter that we're only halfway through the year.

     Forest Sun (his real name) is a San Francisco based singer/songwriter who others in the press have compared favorably to Jack Johnson, Ben Harper, and Van Morrison. But the comparisons generally end there, as if that were enough. It's not. Sun is all that and a bowl of gravy.

     By blending soul, blues, jazz, gospel, and a touch of 20th centure "Americana," Forest Sun has managed to carve out a niche that is uniquely his, one which sounds remarkably like all of the above (and a little Keb'Mo' added to the mix) without the unsettling feeling that he's copping others' licks. His is a style of naked, earnest sincerity, with the kind of soul-baring lyrics one expects of someone at least a generation older.

     What's more, Forest Sun is the consumate musician. Sophomore effort PLENTY features him on -- among other instruments-- both acoustic and electric guitars, mandolin, harmonica, and organ; meanwhile, sidemen perform on upright bass, tabla, and sarod. It's an album that simultaneously explores and bends -- and ultimately blurs the lines between -- seemingly disparate genres with ease.

     But PLENTY isn't just fodder for music geeks (though one could spend hours dissecting it)/ nor is it merely a vehicle for jam-based virtuosity. Rather, it's a singular marriage of lyric beauty and inimitable craftsmanship; a wholly organic work of musical art.

     If you can't catch Forest Sun and his band live (and, quite frankly, some sort of invasive surgery might be the only legitimate excuse), then at the very least buy PLENTY. Right now. Then immediately drop to your knees and thank the good Lord that musicians like Sun still exist.

--Aaron Bragg

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