Artist of the Week: Johnny Flynn

The first word that came to mind when I heard Johnny Flynn's voice was timeless. He has that classic sound that artists have been striving for since Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan emerged on the scene. While each artist aims for the longevity of Cash and Dylan, Flynn is well on his way.

A South African emigrant to Britain, 25-year-old Flynn has a style of music that makes the listener question just how old he is. After just one listen it is evident that his songs have much depth and age to them.

His songs can be categorized as folk rock with that quality storytelling encompassing the music that many folk songs are known for. In fact, it's no wonder that Dylan is one of Flynn's major influences as his music takes the listener back to Dylan's early days. Not only well versed lyrically, Flynn is extremely versatile musically as he plays guitar, violin, trumpet, accordion, mandolin, harmonica and percussion on his debut album, A Larum.

I have a few MP3s and videos of Flynn's to listen to so you get a better idea of what I'm talking about and can make your own critiques on him instead of just reading mine. Enjoy!



To listen to Flynn's song "Cold Bread" click here.

To listen to "Hong Kong Cemetry" click here.

You can also watch the video for "The Box" below. A catchy song, Flynn's deep voice blends impeccably with the guitar interludes throughout — at times almost too perfect to believe.



And here's another video of Flynn's with Laura Marling covering Jeffrey Lewis & Diane Cluck’s anti-folk song "Travel Light."



For more on Johnny Flynn, be sure to check him out on MySpace!