The cover of Israel Nash Gripka’s New York Town shows the tousle haired singer songwriter bowed seriously over his guitar in a park overlooking Brooklyn Bridge and the Manhattan skyline. The faded looking sleeve has been treated to appear beaten and worn, like an old vinyl record sleeve battered by constant use, the conceit continuing down to the black disc printed to look like a miniature LP. On the strength of the music it contains it may not be too long before the record sleeve gets worn out for real.A child of the rural midwest, Gripka, like so many others, was drawn to the bright lights of the big city to see his fame and fortune. During his journey from the dirt roads to the high rises and bright lights he has clearly observed the scenes and people he passed along the way, and here he shares their stories, and his own. Sure, a singer songwriter who plies heartfelt examinations of everyday life, heartbreak and longing is nothing new. However, in the hands of a someone of Gripka’s abilities these familiar topics are made to shine. Organs swirl, Harmonica’s blow and pedal steel swoons around Gripka’s voice, which at times calls to mind early Springsteen, particularly on the slow burning ‘Confess’. Elsewhere his cracking rough round the edges vocal adds a human touch and true warmth to the likes of piano led closer ‘Beautiful’ and ‘Let it Go’. There is plenty hear to enjoy, particularly if you have a predilection for big sing a long chorusses that stick in your head. In creating an album of heart felt Americana with New York as a backdrop and occasional subject, it was perhaps inevitable that comparisons would be drawn to Ryan Adam’s Gold. Indeed, ‘Pray For Rain’ and ‘Let It Go’ could well have been lifted directly from that record, with Gripka’s vocal delivery and intonation so reminiscent of Adams that you could be forgiven for thinking you were listening to the wrong record.New York Town is an impressive debut offering from Israel Nash Gripka, and with his knack for storytelling and a killer chorus he is certainly one to keep an eye out for in the future. As he writes and records more, there's no doubt he will develop his own voice further, and the rare occasions where his records slip into Americana autopilot will become few and far between. 72%Israel Nash Gripka on Myspace