Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country

CRITIC’S PICK: Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country, Terminal West—Borrowing some of Gram Parson’s Americana dust, Nashville guitarist Daniel Donato pushes his spacey country into Grateful Dead territory, complete with jams and a whole lot of twang. He’s an accomplished guitar picker, a convincing singer with a vibrant youthful voice and a promising songwriter who, to his credit, is much too fidgety to stick with a specific sound. That musical exploration is evident on 2023s Reflector, his second album but first of all original material, and one the majority of his set will concentrate on. Between the hot picking and psychedelic touches, Donato has carved out a place as a talented, hardworking youngster with a bright future. — Hal Horowitz