For the past 25 years the Tucson-based Giant Sand has been one of the most consistently innovative in the American music scene. A recipe that could perhaps be best described as 1 cup well-executed grunge aesthetic, 1 cup downtown NY, 1 cup troubadour, and a dash of country outlaw. Although its membership has shifted greatly over the years, singer / songwriter (as well as guitarist and pianist) Howe Gelb has remained at the helm to help fill the coffers of what could be called the new American folk song. Often called Giant Sand's best album of their early period, 1988's "Love Songs" features an expressiveness and songwriting maturity that rivals Bob Dylan.