Self-Titled by Wesley Stace

John Wesley Harding has been writing novels under his given name, Wesley Stace, since 2005. In 2013, he finally applied his original name to his music career, and the Wesley Stace album *Self-Titled* continues his quiet, literate singer/songwriting without changing his approach in any noticeable way. In his early years he often sounded like an Elvis Costello understudy, but since then he\'s evolved into a mild folk-rock artist with music closer to the reflective writings of Harry Chapin, Cat Stevens, and Jim Croce. The small-band approach puts Stace\'s lyrics front and center and lets the stories driving “We Will Always Have New York,” “A Canterbury Kiss,” “Lydia,” and the economical “The Bedroom You Grew Up In” fully connect with audiences looking to hear songs very much in the short-story format. At 16 songs, the album weighs in as a double album, showing how prolific Stace can be when playing himself. “Stare at the Sun” and “When I Knew” were cowritten with Eleanor Friedberger of Fiery Furnaces.

6 / 10

The decision to release a record under his own name was not one that Wesley Stace made lightly.

6 / 10

The decision to release a record under his own name was not one that Wesley Stace made lightly.