Photo by Steve Cohen

Six years later, Dan Who? is still one of my favorite local albums and Israel's voice has remained a durable and comforting mainstay in a scene that is constantly reinventing itself. At a pace of almost an album a year, Israel continues to craft folk with substance, and this year's Turning is the songwriter's ninth and most diverse record to date.

Accompanied by a slew of local roots and Americana musicians, Israel has upped the ante by fleshing out his tunes with electric guitars, piano, fiddle, and harmonies, but the most impressive aspect of the album is that it stays true to his straightforward style of songwriting. Where some albums might feel overcrowded by too many guest performers, Israel's collaborators are able to add nuances without overshadowing his melodies and lyrics.

Photo by Steve Cohen

With a cast of guest musicians that includes Dave Boquist, Marc Perlman, John Munson, Jessy Greene, Laurie Lindeen, and many, many others, most of the recording was completed in shifts in Israel's own basement studio. “[It] was terrifying having people come over to my house to record, in my basement,” Israel admits. “It kind of freaked me out. I know how to write songs, I know how to play guitar and sing, but I'm not much of a professional when it comes to recording. I was really sheepish about people coming over and going, 'wow, those Radio Shack headphones from 1979 you have are really cool. You must really know your recording gear.'”

With the help of drummer and producer Dave Russ, Israel did a remarkable job of piecing together the contributions from a sizable group of performers into a unified album. Songs flow seamlessly between upbeat folk rock (“Counting On You”), jangly piano pieces (“Occasionally”) and Israel's signature acoustic guitar-and-sad melody confessionals (“This World” and “News to Me”), with delicate violin and pedal steel accompaniments sprinkled expertly throughout.

Photo by Steve Cohen

Although Israel has never been able to achieve widespread success ("Sometimes it looks so dark/I just want to leave a mark," he laments on the title track to Turning), his long term dedication to creating meaningful folk music is commendable. And from a fan's standpoint, part of what makes artists like Israel so special is that he is still just as likely to be found playing in a neighborhood coffee shop or hootenanny as he is headlining a larger venue for a CD release, and you just can't fake that kind of authenticity.

Listen to Counting On You from Turning:


Listen to News To Me from Turning:

Dan Israel website

Dan Israel MySpace page