Ian Noe hails from Eastern Kentucky and his debut album Between The Country is an attempt to document small town life. Noe’s vocal phrasing and imagery is similar to his hero John Prine who gave some tutelage to the young folksinger and helped inform this album. Between The Country was produced by Dave Cobb and contains some interesting moments such as the misbegotten bank robber tale on “Letter To Madeline” and the breezy 60’s influenced “Barbara’s Song.” Elsewhere, Noe competently treads into darker territory with songs such as “If Today Doesn’t Do Me In” and “Meth Head.” Between The Country is an enjoyable album and gives Noe a solid footing, it will be interesting to see where the songwriter goes when he expands his horizons on his subsequent albums.
