I Need to Start a Garden by Portland-based folk songwriter Haley Heynderickx is now available everywhere on the great Mama Bird Recording Co. This is one of my personal favorites of the year. The songwriting is intriquing and unique and then there’s that voice that has such an emotional range. The depth of that voice cuts through me like a knife. Which is a pretty horrible analogy, because this doesn’t hurt me. Quite the opposite actually. The emotional range finds even the parts of me that you can’t find from human anatomy encyclopedia and fills them with something pure and eventually healing. The whole album is marvellous, but for me the highlight of it is Untitled God Song. Profoundly captivating, completely addicting and dazzlingly beautiful song that describes the appearance of God in an unconventional manner. It’s both moving and amusing and I’ve listened to it dozens of times. What a great record. I’m not really an outdoor type, but I’m pretty sure I need to start a garden.