Stardoc Fences

Swingin' for the Fences is the debut album by Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band, an 18-piece big band led by Gordon Goodwin.

Bombadil from Durham, North Carolina breaks down musical walls on "Fences", featuring 11 original songs composed by the trio, influenced by early Paul Simon and steeped in shades of Cat Stevens and The Incredible String Band. Following the loss of a longtime member and a period of exploration that forced the band out of its comfort zone, Bombadil returned reborn with its most remarkable work to date: meticulously crafted yet accessible and unadorned.

Bombadil from Durham, North Carolina breaks down musical walls on "Fences", featuring 11 original songs composed by the trio, influenced by early Paul Simon and steeped in shades of Cat Stevens and The Incredible String Band. Following the loss of a longtime member and a period of exploration that forced the band out of its comfort zone, Bombadil returned reborn with its most remarkable work to date: meticulously crafted yet accessible and unadorned.

Unfamiliar with Fences, aka Christopher Mansfield I could be forgiven by taking the visual and assuming what I was going to hear matches up to the image of the man himself. Instead within seconds, I realized I was not in Kansas anymore, a melodic, emotive range of songwriting flowed across the headphones immersed in soft poised vocals that told a story beyond the lyrics itself. What you get is a beautiful collection of melancholy, heartfelt songs that envelope you in an instant, hard to remove yourself from the deep intrinsic stories, you simply get swept away within the melodies and easy on the ear songs that resonate across the album. Like many of the modern day storytellers, capturing life within three minutes you could find comparisons in the likes of Passenger, or Damien Rice with soulful immersive songwriting, yet Fences delivers his songs in a personal way that resonates with the listener in an equally intimate way.