Dan Lipton Stirs up Nostalgia With “Mix Tapes”

Dan Lipton is a DC native who honed his folk chops at the famous Gypsy Sally’s. The venue was known as a place where lovers of American roots music would congregate. It was known for focusing on bluegrass, Americana, and folk music primarily. The influence of the environment is clear in both “Mix Tapes” and “Water Rising”.

I’ve been listening to a lot of folk and bluegrass lately so, I was excited to check out this release. I liked “Mix Tapes” so much that I decided to give the album a spin. I’m going to tell you about both of them.

Dan Lipton Finds Gold in His Mix Tapes

As the story goes, Dan Lipton inherited a ’69 Baracuda from his grandfather. He filled it up and hit the open road. While cruising in an American class, he dug out his old mix tapes and turned the joyride into a trip down memory lane.

The track is almost a diary of that trip. Dan takes you on the cross-country journey with him. It’s a smooth ride.

This is kind of the poppier, cleaner kind of folk music. Lipton does it well. His vocals and acoustic guitar work harken back to something a little more country but the added accompaniment pulls the track in a poppier direction. It’s a really well-put-together song and the production on it is smooth as glass.

My only issue with this track is that it isn’t available on Spotify. The fact that this song isn’t on the album is a damned shame. I could say the same about another of his Soundcloud-exclusive tracks called “Television”. That one feels much more country and is probably my favorite Dan Lipton song. Give it a listen while you’re at it.

“Water Rising”

I liked those two tracks enough that I decided I had to see what Dan Lipton had to offer on the album. I was not disappointed. Something I learned pretty quickly about Lipton is that he knows how to balance his style. Some songs are more poppy while others let the country roots shine. Honestly, I like my folk music as close to outlaw country as it can get. Lipton gave me what I wanted and more.

The instrumentation and vocals are solid from front to back. Lipton switches vocal styles a little to fit the tune but he always sounds great. He has spent years honing his craft and it shows. It’s a damned good album.

Standout Tracks

This is one of those albums that you can put on and not have to skip songs. There’s enough variety to hold your interest but everything is solid. I did have some favorites on the album, though.

“Four to the Floor”

“Four to the Floor” is the most likely track to end up on one of my playlists. This song sounds damned near like honkytonk and I love it. The lyrics center on Lipton not being able to play rock and roll.

While it sounds like honky-tonk, Dan doesn’t put a fake twang in his voice. I am deeply appreciative of that. There’s plenty of twang in his guitar solos. That’s right where it needs to be.

For my ears, there are only two things that would make this track better. You could add a fiddle and steel guitar or take away everything but Lipton and his acoustic. As it stands, though, this is still my favorite track on the album.

“Shotgun Wedding”

All folk music has a little country and western in its soul. The question is, how many other influences are covering it up. It’s that looseness that makes it such an interesting and vast genre.

This track has its country roots fully on display. A little later in the track, the guitar flirts with a psychedelic rock solo before returning to the more rootsy sound of the rest of the track. This is great songwriting on display.

All in All…

All in all, would I recommend this album? Definitely. There’s a little something in it for everyone. Check out his Soundcloud while you’re at it. There’s some great stuff there as well.

The album “Water Rising” is available to stream on Spotify now.