Milwaukee folk singer Micah Olsan ably performs solo acoustic with just voice and guitar. But when he fronts his band, he brings an Afro-Caribbean percussion and electric bass that are reminiscent of Ben Harper and Dave Matthews. With his singing and songwriting, however, Olsan is more plaintive than Matthews and more subdued than Harper. Though Olsan’s style lands in a territory that’s similar to many of today’s commercial hits, he adds sufficient originality and personality to stand out among his aforementioned influences and artists closer to his peer group, like Gavin DeGraw. Giant Sized Life is engaging and promising.
