Midwest Soul Xchange – “Roots”

“Roots” has a tinted, lackadaisical charm that’s propelled by calming vocals (somewhat reminiscent of Michael Stipe), gentle acoustics, straightforward percussion and a comfortingly faint backing synth pad. Lyrics like “everyday I see nothing but green, but still my eyes have a story to tell,” over the serene arsenal provide a sense of calm retrospection, a feeling further conveyed by the powerful dual-vocal approach of Ryan Summers and Nate Cherrier, whose mutual tendencies for melodic serenity results in a cohesive collaboration. Their abilities as vocalists, songwriters and multi-instrumentalists have played off well with one another to make their Midwest Soul Xchange project an effective one.

The track is off their new album, New American Century.