2000 Great Songs #1473: Best To Believe

Late singer-songwriter Neal Casal inexplicably left the lovely, understated "Best To Believe" off his 1995 debut, belatedly throwing it onto 1997 odds-and-sods collection Field Recordings. (His apparent lack of love for the track was confirmed by its omission from multiple later compilations.) He did toss out a stripped-down solo acoustic version on 1996's Rain, Wind And Speed, but the full-band version on Field Recordings is the one to check out first.

Like a lot of Casal's gentle, jangly folk rock, it's a little too pop for Americana, a little too twangy for pop, and so got sorta lost. But it's got the makings of a long lost 70s classic, the Eagles for people who would never be caught dead listening to the Eagles; or maybe a great campfire song for that one cool counselor who brings his acoustic guitar to summer camp. Not Casal's most immediate track, but something haunting about the melody has always stayed with me.

Solo acoustic:

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