Call him a sensitive singer-songwriter, if you wish. It's a good label for Ari Hest, who says that his songs "were and still are my way of working things out of my system." Or call this charismatic artist something else–you can probably find support for your label in the diverse influences he expertly weaves together in his guitar-driven original songs. They're delivered in a tenor voice with a beautiful patina of roughness. Ari comes to Michigan with a new release, "Shouts and Whispers," which his website calls "a non-typical collection of tracks that ultimately form a cohesive narrative. With songs of sadness and resignation giving way to lucidity and catharsis, Hest's introspection and intelligence are on display, creating moments of magic within his poetic, spare lyrics and backing them up with his ear for haunting melodies."