Naked and Falling, is the second album by White Owl Red, a San Francisco Alt-Country / Americana music project by singer-songwriter Josef McManus. Featuring drums by Kyle Caprista (Chuck Prophet, Megan Slankard), and guitars by Gawain Matthews (Mickey Hart, Ben Lee). The album has spent 5 months on various charts. It has made it's way to #62 on the Americana Music Association Chart (AMA), #9 on the Freeform American Roots Chart (FAR), and #20 on the Root 66 Airplay chart (Alt. Root). As an Alt-Country / Americana cross-over, it has also gotten a lot of attention on Adult Album Alternative (AAA) stations throughout the country. The album has gained national and international attention with Airplay from the Middle East to Hawaii, from Alaska to Chile. Special thanks to all the DJs and Fans that have listened and shared the album. (The album is available to DJs on Airplay Direct and PlayMPE)
Here's what the Media is saying:
Excerpt:
A rising star in the alt-country universe is the singer/songwriter J. Josef McManus who spearheads the project White Owl Red.
Thematically speaking Naked and Falling is an album soaked full of pain and sorrow and is documenting those who have fallen on hard times, or just simply fallen. The record though is not in the least depressing because musically it’s so rich. The behind the scenes players; drummer Kyle Caprista, guitarist Gawain Matthews, and the lovely backing vocals of Leah Tysse, make this record what it is, a polished piece of what will surely become an alt-country classic.
-Jamie Robash, Divide and Conquer Music
Excerpt:
“Take a pinch of the Dead, add a little Airplane, with a dash of Byrd seed and a healthy dose of Quick Silver and Burritos, roll it up and partake of San Francisco’s White Owl Red, a refreshing psychedelic dream-like fog ... California Country drifts like mist rolling in from the bay on Naked and Falling, the latest release from the San Francisco-based band...Country Rock takes a dose of psychedelia...lazily flowing rhythms and west coast Folk music.”
- J. Alan Taylor, The Alternate Root
Excerpt:
"It is absolutely gorgeous. This music doesn’t just entertain, it transports. Listening causes the user to daydream... spacey and atmospheric… country and psychedelia… a little bit Chris Isaac and a little bit of The Byrds. The writing, singing, backing vocals, and instrumentation is perfection.”
- Harry Kaplan, Twangri-La
Excerpt translated from Italian via Google translator:
"...a 'unicum' of great expressive and descriptive, flirty, dreamlike power ... Josef McManus's voice rests perfectly on Gawain Matthews guitars that evoke both visionary and fantastic landscapes and precise and solid percussion by Kyle Caprista... Josef conquers us with his" low profile "but he insists in his heart and soul convincingly."
- Remo Ricaldone, Lonestar Time
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