Darin Talbot

Singer-songwriter Darin Talbot is based in Incline Village where, if the content of his second album is any evidence, he divides his time between snowboarding around Tahoe and writing sharp, attractive songs about snowboarding around Tahoe. Actually, not all of the songs are about snowboarding—some of them are about sitting on the beach at Lake Tahoe, watching the sun go down over Tahoe, surfing and getting over hangovers, presumably at Lake Tahoe. His vocal delivery is a bit mannered, and a couple of these songs sound like tributes to Jimmy Buffett—"Lazy Days in Tahoe" features marimbas and an incongruous island beat, while "The Bloody Mary Song" sounds like a Sierra-fied version of the "Margarita Song." But Talbot’s slow numbers are impressive: "Dusk Upon the Lake," "Leaving Hawaii" and "Song for You" are all perfect, end-of-the-day, by-the-fireplace songs.