Langhorne Slim

"Rebel Side of Heaven," by Langhorne Slim, fromLanghorne Slim (Kemado):

If folk pseudonyms were like Web addresses, Langhorne Slim would have been snatched up shortly after the invention of the Internet. True to his name, Langhorne makes barefoot folk Americana with a voice to fuel front-porch stomps and sunset hymns, evoking both a less-screechy Jack White and Nashville Skyline–era Dylan. He's backed by the drums and hulking upright bass of a rhythm duo known as the War Eagles. Though Langhorne Slim is a State University of New York music conservatory alum rather than a boxcar-hoppin' hobo, his eponymous 2008 album rings with country-fried authenticity. It's music taught nowhere but backwoods schoolhouses and clandestine alt-folk seminars.