On his second release, Belly of the Lion, Texas native David Wingo – under the moniker Ola Podrida – delivers not quite a dozen beautifully written, sweeping tracks that evoke the desolate landscape captured on the album’s cover. Known best as a music composer behind movies like George Washington and All the Real Girls, it’s not surprising that Belly of the Lion sounds a bit like a movie score. Bringing up influences like Nick Drake and Elliott Smith, Ola Podrida’s sound can tend to be a bit predictable about halfway into the album. That’s not a bad thing; just don’t expect much variety beyond the moodier singer songwriter tunes Wingo is known for. All in all, a quite beautiful escape.
Rating: 8 out of 10
Top track: “Lakes of Wine†and “The Closest We Will Ever Beâ€
Ola Podrida – Belly of the Lion /CD/9 tracks/2009/Western Vinyl/ http://www.myspace.com/olapodrida