An unusual blend of deeply soulful singer-songwriter tunes in the tradition of Van Morrison, Seal with a dash of Sam Cooke and Ben Harper thrown in for good measure, this beautiful and emotionally transcendent release spotlights Damon Aaron as one of our strongest emerging songwriters. He has the kind of promise we’ve heard in Tracy Chapman, in Keb Mo, in Joni Mitchell, in Norah Jones but he has a voice that’s all his own and a brilliance that lingers long after the final notes of this album have faded. In an era when we sometimes beg for albums to wind to a conclusion or pick and choose favorites, Ballast is one of those albums that we want to take in again and again, each and every note. – Jedd Beaudoin