Devendra Banhart: Feel Like A Child

Ok, I'll admit it. I've avoided investing in Banhart up to this point based purely on his looks alone. Damn dirty hippy is all I saw. From what I've read I'm not wrong, but his rise to fame and glory of the past five years is impressive. Homeless kid on the Streets of SF to traveling to NYC and somehow landing a major record label deal all based off of a grass roots movement of fan support on a musical style that sounds like it comes out of Mississippi circa 1924? I have to admit; pretty cool. There's a lot of press out on the shelf about Devendra right now. Paste, Rolling Stone, Filter, etc. But really when three friend recommend it so far as to email you about it, throw it on several mix tapes and generally throw about Banhart in music conversations in a snotty manner, it means I'd better edumacate myself. Thanks guys, you know who you are.

Initial impressions: I enjoy it, but I can already tell it won't be something that sticks with me. It's great atmosphere, and by all accounts Banhart puts on one hell of a live jam band concert. But I think I'll need to be high after a couple listenings to get anything else out of it. His lyrics will probably sound profound then.

Devendra exploded on the international music scene three years ago, quickly accumulating devoted fans as well as an unusually hefty amount of critical kudos with his debut and subsequent releases. "There's something about Banhart's muse that defies words and logic, something to these songs that hints at a deeper connection to the cosmos than most of us share. Jeff Buckley might have had that gift; John Lennon and Van Morrison certainly did. Add to that list Devendra Banhart, an astonishing talent whose future work promises to bring us to exciting new places" - Harp Magazine. "...it's Banhart's gift for melody that ultimately carries the day, littering the album with slyly entrancing tunes that recall the pleasure of old campfire songs. It's enough to cure even a hardened cynic" - Blender.

This is the kind of shit that makes me immediately want to turn away from an artist and prejudge them like I did in this case. Although Blender is right. I does seem to break up my practiced cynisism. But Fuck Blender still.

I haven't found any official website for Devendra but here's The closest thing I could find

Check out the video for I Feel Just Like A Child