Reviewing Simone Felice’s Strangers

Simone Felice, a founding member of the Felice Brothers and The Duke & the King, loves Bob Dylan. Hell, in “Molly-O!,” the opening track on Strangers, he even tops his hat to “Baby Blue.” But hey, if you’re going to borrow, borrow from the best. What he is, however, is a really great songwriter. The man seems to pour his heart into each and every song, which has pushed some journalists to compare him to Leonard Cohen. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, guys. Give Felice time to grow into those legendary shoes. He’s a wonderful poet, and he’s able to craft his words into sublime ditties that sound a lot more simple and nursery rhyme-ish than they really are (like Dylan’s “Mr. Tambourine Man, though not nearly as good). Ultimately, there’s a lot of potential on offer here. Felice could well evolve into a household name. Or he could disappear without a trace, The music business is funny like that.