Sticky and the Bees, the musical persona of Andy Goheen, pulls off an amazing feat on The Self-Help Songbook Volume 1. Somehow he has figured out a way to sing songs of heartbreak, doubt and uncertainty with a swagger that makes them sound not like calls for help, but rather a call to arms. Maybe it’s his baritone voice, less The National and more Hayden meets Charlie Pride, that lifts this collection of songs out of the pile of sensitive singer-songwriters – or maybe it’s how that voice works within the framework of these simple and elegantly unpretentious songs. Either way, the Self-Help Songbook Volume 1 is a refreshing take on the genre, and Sticky and the Bees are a group to watch.
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