What You Gonna Spend Your Free Life On?

In certain frames. I'm a sap. Like right now. When I'm listening to singer-songwriter Dan Wilson's new CD Free Life. Dan's voice. Has the effect. Of wrapping me. It has felt familiar. Since I was young. Well, younger. Trip Shakespeare. Semisonic. Sometimes I put my arms out. And up. And let it roll from my fingertips into my soul. And, yeah. I know a lot of the words. From other CDs. And Dan's myspace site. More pathos. I read the liner notes. Where he thanks "the Semisonic message board, you know who you are, for hanging in there." Yes. I'm part of a message board for a long defunct band. Now you know. That's the thanks we get. The CD ends with Easy Silence, a tune co-written with the Dixie Chicks. A CD that brought a grammy home. For them. And him. "Sweet, sweet sugar to me." There are only two other singer-songwriters that make me put my arms out to embrace the music. Mike Doughty. And John Mayer.