James Hand - Stormclouds in Heaven - Music & Performance - CD

Though he's been making powerful original Country music for over forty years, until recently James Hand had unjustly remained one of American music's secret treasures - a local legend in Texas, modestly plying his craft in countless smoky dives and dancehalls to a slowly widening circle of admirers.

What he does, he does straight from his heart, taking the hard-won lessons that life and love have taught him and pouring them into his songwriting and performing.

James Hand sings like nobody but himself, his phrasing drawing out the pain and humor of his lyrics with an unpredictable yet soulful series of tiny inflections.

His songs are equally mysterious and unclassifiable.

While they are noticeably rich with the influences of his heroes - classic country architects like Hank, Lefty, and Ernest - Hand's songs are uniquely his, imbued with equal parts gallows humor and the ability to stare unflinchingly into life's darkest corners.