Bobby Long's potent 'Winter Tale'

It starts with the voice. Bobby Long has a great one, naturally emotive and effortlessly warm, in harmony with its spare, mostly acoustic surroundings on his debut, "A Winter Tale" (ATO). The British singer-songwriter makes "Dead and Done" as folk-groovy as Ray LaMontagne, while "Penance Fire Blues" brings out his Bob Dylan passion. Still a newcomer, Long has a focus that other indie-folksters such as Iron and Wine and The Decemberists took years to find, making "A Winter Tale" a stunningly potent discovery.

Bobby Long

"A Winter Tale"

GRADE A-

BOTTOM LINE Well-crafted stories perfect for the season