“Small Planet“
from the album Catch the Brass Ring
2007
iTunes
Wading through the music scene’s waters as a singer-songwriter is tough. Women have it hard enough, trying to live up to examples set by Joni Mitchell or Kate Bush. But men have a whole other caliber of legend to be dealing with: that string of gone-too-soon cases including Nick Drake, Jeff Buckley, and Elliott Smith. Add to this the sheer number of buskers trying to break out, especially in a city of strivers like Los Angeles, and the odds are stacked against Ferraby Lionheart. He makes music mostly by himself, and he regularly plays L.A. clubs like Hotel Cafe and Tangier, which are thick with aspiring troubadours. With his debut full-length, Catch the Brass RingK, Lionheart turns in a diamond in a field flush with mediocre talent.