The late John Prine was by all accounts an incredibly kind-hearted man, but he was not easily impressed. So his decision to sign Arlo McKinley, an Ohio-born 40-year-old singer-songwriter still yet to release his debut album, to his own Oh Boy Records earlier this year is a sign of just how striking McKinley's songs can be. “John was reserved in his praise for songwriters," his son, Jody, said in a statement announcing McKinley's signing earlier this month. "I played him a couple of Arlo’s songs and he heard 'Bag Of Pills' and said, ‘that’s a good song,’ which for him was very high praise.
He loved Arlo’s voice, this big guy with a sweet, soulful, gospel voice. He loved the dichotomy of the hard life lived, presented through such beautiful.
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