Exhausted, damaged, troubled, and perhaps addicted to one or more substances seems to be the DNA makeup for so many of the current contemporary lonely skinny singer songwriters today ... causing me to earnestly wonder if they’d have anything to say or sing about should the sunlight warm their faces, their troubles evaporate into the ether, and their penchant for self abuse quelled. Regardless, we must consider Cautionary Tale for what it is, in the here and now.The album is a flawless blend of Americana and drifting folk music, where LeBlanc wearily, yet earnestly lays out a flowing intoxicating array of songs that come off like something updated from an early Neil Young catalog, especially so on “Easy Way Out” which feathers in hints of “Cowgirl In The Sand,” without seeming to be paying homage to that great American legend, as if he’d made it all up on his own.The man lays out textures that are rich and understated, much the same as Elton John did so many years ago on Tumbleweed Connection, or those of the slower washed out and wasted numbers by Crosby Stills & Nash; though Dlyan LeBlanc updates his version of these sounds with a bluesy context and charm that flows even more effortlessly. His lyrics sound drifting, weighty, half forgotten and dusty, filled with a certain something or substance that appears to be here and gone in the same moment.Nothing really special to be found between these grooves here, nothing to criticize either, and nothing I couldn’t do without. He’s just another in a long line of artists who’ve taken the time to examine themselves, putting their life to verse and song ... nevertheless, since his weathered shuffle is now part of my catalog, I’ll give it a spin more than once, perhaps suffer along with his intrigue and regret, while dreaming of days gone by, and for what I hope is to come in the future.Review by Jenell Kesler