With a croon that breaks hearts, a bark that warns of the bite to come, a whisper that channels a desperate, dying lover, and a poet’s pen that makes you think twice before taking any of his words at face value, Kenny Childers guides his talented and quirky cohorts through his most skillful set of songs to date. Always a masterful singer and multi-instrumentalist, he has also emerged as a lyricist with turns of phrase and evocative wordplay that would make the likes of Andrew Marvell proud.

Gentleman Caller Vs. The Elephant picks up where Until We Are Missing (Affirmation Records, 2006) left off – the songs are inhabited with ghosts, haunted bodies (both water and human), past loves and a sense of hope that refuses to be stifled. There’s a full-on plague, but it’s one you can dance to (“The Locusts”). The epic stories and brutally beautiful truths are served up hiding in plain sight among some of the catchiest, most instantly foot-tap worthy music being created today. And that’s just one of the elephants in the room. Musically, the band seems to channel the intertwined spirits of Jesus and The Mary Chain, The Plastic Ono Band, The Kinks and John Prine.