Baltimore singer-songwriter Caleb Stine understands that his is not a city that evokes the rustic Americana celebrated so lovingly in his songs. So his second album, I’ll Head West Again, is full of references to other parts of the country, with song titles like “On A Porch In Nashville” and “West Virginia,” and the detailed travelogue that comprises the lyrics of “Daniel Boone.” And Stine’s wistful words find a perfect foil in his backing band The Brakemen, who furnish his songs with pedal steel, bass, and drums, without ever drowning out the deep, plainspoken voice at the center of it all.

On A Porch In Nashville

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The upshot of Stine remaining the focal point on I’ll Head West Again is that for ultimately, each song is only as good as his singing allows it to be, for better and for worse. The album opens on a high note with “On A Porch In Nashville,” bolstered by a warm, sonorous vocal reminiscent of Jackson Browne. But it also stumbles with Stine’s awkward attempt at a folksy, conversational delivery on “May Every Breath Be A Prayer,” which could’ve been one of his most affecting songs if executed better.

Come Back Home

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The album’s highlight, “Come Back Home,” features a guest appearances by the members of Baltimore indie rock duo Wye Oak, with Andy Stack sitting in on upright bass and Jenn Wasner singing a duet with Stine. And though the gently playful interplay between the two contrasting voices is what makes the song, Wasner’s performance is an absolute revelation, her lilting, bittersweet vocal imbued with an Appalachian twang that’d only been hinted at in her usual band’s recordings. If Wye Oak ever records a country album, and they easily could based on this evidence, they should return the favor and bring Caleb Stine back for another collaboration.