“Bourbon Cigarettes” is not just the title of a stand-out track from Craig Gore’s forthcoming release Ten Year Sleep, it is a phrase that conjures the feel of his music and suggests the circumstances under which the album’s songs could have been composed. His work is reminiscent of both the raw honesty of Neil Young and the beautiful misery of Nick Drake.

Gore’s songs are unabashedly honest, unafraid to traffic in pain, all the while remaining sincerely poetic and never growing overly maudlin. His sound is a blend of all kinds of Americana and always meticulously crafted. His world-weary croon lends narrative authenticity to his thoughtful lyrics and words that passionately illuminate the complexity of modern relationships and the suffering we all endure in the name of love.