OurStage

4 out of 5 As a long time fixture of Orlando's (and beyond) music scene, Logan Belle has worked and toured with several national artists and released numerous records. His latest solo effort, Candletime, is a reflection of the singer/guitarist/songwriter's vast experience. with it's subtle textures, Candletime isn't total acoustic. Years in the making, Belle played all of the instruments except the drums, which were played by Betsy Banger, formerly of Logan's Run and Shebang. With an organic, acoustic folk sound that has also been known to dominate Belle's past albums, the eight jangly ditties found here shouldn't disappoint his fans.

Logan Belle is doing funny voices. He's cranked up the Cockney and says "potty emergency, I'm gonna explode!" just like Wakko Warner from the "Animaniacs" cartoon series. One glance around the small studio where he currently resides will reveal this to be one of his favorite t.v. programs. Thin and lanky with long, thick dreadlocks and a mellow demeanor, Belle is reserved upon first meeting--but is relaxed and prone to affecting accents in the company of friends...A 1997 open mic stand introduced the Orlando scene to the straggly Jersey native with the rich tenor and easy laugh. His music is folk-inspired, leaning towards a Neil Young-esque affinity for rock-tinged grooves. At times, he jazz rocks it with a passion and rhythmic attack that is sharp and sweet. His songs often deal with issues of the mind and soul, arguments with your inner demons and dedication to that which is most true. Two songs, "Love For The Tune" and "My Wooden Fences", address the relationship between the music and the musician as he becomes a vessel, a mirror for the muse. "This is what I'm all about, this is what I want to do, it doesn't have to make sense, we're nuts to be musicians!" he laughs. When the muse chooses to work through you, there's nothing that can really be done, if you're in tuned. It's an evil trick and it often results in you waking up at all hours of the night as if to console a baby. Logan laughs again and recalls when the fever first hit. "I was working at an ad firm as a studio engineer, great job, neat people, easy thing to do, good money, the 'perfect job', but I wasn't happy, because I felt that every moment that I wasn't doing something with music was a moment wasted."

If you can make it past the Morrison acid-trip segues that stitch the project together, Belle's stripped-down dirges are heartfelt and sincere. And acoustic-driven travelogues like "Broken Yellow Line" and "Rochester: Walking" are easier to digest than a Rand McNally fold-out.