At moments you could easily picture Joe Mannix in Greenwich Village throughout the sixties. Sitting around coffeehouses in New York City with the likes of Bob Dylan and Joan Baez, singing praises for Woody Guthrie. Other moments he evokes folk rock of the seventies, in the vain of Jim Croce or Crosby, Stills and Nash, in acoustic form. With track one, Silver Girl (by far, the best moment on the album) the ghost of John Lennon floats in and out of him, speaking through the melodies in the choruses.

Essentially, though, Mannix is a modern day singer/songwriter with a true punk spirit aching to get out. And it’s getting out, just not in it’s classic form. He represents the organic, natural and earthy side of punk, the side that has heart and passion along with the rebellion and aggression. A free spirit found back packing across the country and hunching over bars in seedy clubs and scattered around cities everywhere.

With his down to earth storytelling and sweet melodies, he brings a blend of roots rock and folk to the New York City underground songwriter community. With his debut album, White Flag, Joe Mannix manages to modernize an old sound. One that most of his contemporaries are comfortable merely reliving with false legitimacy. He conjures up images of the past while creating a new path for fellow musicians to follow his lead.

My only complaint would be in regards to the length of the album, which boasts 15 tracks plus one bonus track. My interests peaked in the early songs and then slowly began to wane through the rest of the album. I don’t consider that to be a judgment on the songs or the quality…it’s just too much of one thing.

Whether he’s momentarily evoking ghosts of the past or blowing fresh air through a stale genre, Joe Mannix has a sound that is entirely urban. This isn’t the singer/songwriter some have come to know in recent years. There are no images of hippies, no strong country influence or spur of the moment drum circles. Nor does this remind you of one of the latest trends in indie rock…the new singer/songwriter who is full of mystery with their haunting music and concept albums.

This is a real musician who is full of style and authenticity, one who creates music free of trends and unnatural moodiness. Joe Mannix closely resembles the kind of artist who builds a cult following. There’s something different about his songs…maybe it’s the sweet melodies that seem a little rough around the edges, maybe it’s the rock influence. Whatever it is, White Flag makes me love the idea of the so-called “new folk underground”.