Critical Praise for "Golden Age of Radio"
#9 - Best of 2002 - "A folksy, unassuming album from a
folksy, unassuming Idahoan, who channels Nick Drake, Neil Young
and Leonard Cohen without all the suicidal gloominess such influences
imply."
- Rolling Stone On-Line
"A star in the making."
- The San Francisco Chronicle
"He says he's a drifter from Idaho, but listeners of Ritter's
latest may theorize that he's the love child of Nick Drake.
The droopy eyes, thundercloud hair - and, of course, forlorn
folk that could make Mr. Rogers contemplate a razor-blade wristwatch.
When he sings a line like 'My wings are made of hay and cornhusks,
so I can't leave this world behind,' you'll demand a birth certificate."
- Details
"A genuine mixture of eye-candy and innocence, he combines
the looks of Jeff Buckley with the storytelling skills of Bruce
Springsteen."
- Making Music magazine (UK)
"...an extraordinary new talent whose work has a beguiling,
timeless quality. Ritter's songs have universal appeal, beyond
generational or stylistic barriers. His lyrics have the narrative
flow of a natural-born songwriter, while his melodies linger
in the memory. The songs seem to embody the entire history of
Americana: from Woody Guthrie, through Bob Dylan, Neil Young,
Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark, John Prine and Tom Waits; right
up to Ron Sexsmith, Beck or Will Oldham."
- The Irish Examiner
"Like all good writing, [Golden Age of Radio] allows us
to enjoy tough emotions through the beauty of a story well-told."
- New York Daily News
"Refreshing...already being compared to a young Johnny
Cash or Will Oldham..."
- HOTPRESS
"Spare, beautifully literate songs."
- Boston Globe
" * * * *...Golden Age of Radio makes it clear that his
sudden success is well deserved, and based on genuine talent...Great
stuff."
- All Music Guide
"Fans of smart, sensitive material will want to pay attention
to this newcomer's career."
- The Washington Post
"[There] is emotional heft and unvarnished truth to
his performances, and to the dozen tracks that make up Golden
Age...Like Springsteen, Townes Van Zandt, and John Prine,
he's a traditionalist who blurs genre lines among folk, country,
and pop, bringing to mind kindred spirits like Gillian Welch
and a less bratty Ryan Adams."
- Boston Phoenix
