Iron & Wine is the stage and recording name for Florida singer/songwriter Sam Beam. He released his first album, The Creek Drank the Cradle, on the Sub Pop label in 2002; Beam wrote, performed, recorded, and produced every track on the album by himself at a studio in his home. The album features acoustic guitars, banjo, and slide guitar; its music has been compared, variously, to that of Nick Drake, Simon and Garfunkel, Neil Young, Elliott Smith, and Ralph Stanley.

2003 saw the release of The Sea & The Rhythm, an EP collecting other home-recorded tracks along the same lines as those on his debut. Beam's sophomore album, Our Endless Numbered Days was recorded in a professional studio with a significant increase in fidelity. The focus still lies on acoustic material, but the inclusion of other band members gives rise to a very different sound.

Discography

• The Creek Drank the Cradle (2002)
• The Sea & The Rhythm (EP) (2003)
• Our Endless Numbered Days (2004)
• Woman King (EP) (2005)

External links

• Official website
• Essays on 'The Creek Drank the Cradle'
• Rolling Stone review of the album
• pitchforkmedia review of The Creek Drank the Cradle
• Flakmag review of The Creek Drank the Cradle