The Staves have made an album I can’t stop listening to.

I love singing. I like hearing it and I like trying my best at it. Somehow, singing makes me feel alive. I feel a part of a song, and that works for me. Some folks go their whole lives and never feel a part of anything. I’m happy when I sing. I feel like I’m doing something good. Healthy. I say this because singing for singing’s sake seems to be a rarity these days with everything that competes for our attention. Also, many folks feel they need to be alone to sing and feeling alone is tricky. Sure, we might feel lonely, but that isn’t the same thing as feeling alone. When I hear good singing it usually makes me want to sing too. Sometimes, as with The Staves, good singing simply asks me to listen. I listen to this band happily. It is because of the singing.

My fascination with good harmony singing goes back to my mother singing Gospel music. I’ve always felt in a “groove” singing in a harmony. I like that feeling. The sound of harmony done well sends me to orbit. It’s one of my favorite musical things. It’s no wonder I love The Staves so much. They’re harmony experts.

Writing songs other people want to hear is very hard. I don’t care what anyone says. I’ve been attempting it for a long time and have found that to be the truth in my case. With The Staves, writing music seems very natural, even easy. It may not be simple for them, but it sure sounds like it. They write lyrics that are coherent and witty. They write melodies that lend themselves to the harmonies and thoughtful words that go into them. This band isn’t just experts in the singing department. They are incredible songwriters.

You get good singing and writing with The Staves. For a guy like me, that’s all I’ve ever wanted.