IF YOU GOWhat: Iron & Wine.When: 8 p.m. Saturday.Where: Tivoli Theatre, 709 Broad St.Admission: $29.50, plus fees.Phone: 642-8497.Venue website: www.chattanoogaonstage.com.Website: www.ironandwine.com
When Sam Beam sings, his soothing whisper bends the ear like an epic lullaby recited against the flickering backdrop of a nighttime campfire.
Beam, 37, is the bearded South Carolina folk singer/songwriter who goes by the stage name Iron & Wine. Saturday, he will appear at the Tivoli Theatre, where he will continue his tour in support of "Kiss Each Other Clean," his fifth studio album, which was released in January 2011.
For years, Beam's releases were sparse, lo-fi affairs, beginning with 2002's "The Creek Drank the Cradle," which he wrote, performed, recorded and produced in his home.
"Creek" and several subsequent releases were generally minimally adorned by instruments, usually just a meditatively plucked banjo or finger-picked or slide guitar. The lack of trappings emphasized Beam's distinctive hushed delivery of bittersweet, tender and plaintive songs.
With 2007's "The Shepherd's Dog," Beam began shifting into more complex production, a trend that continued with "Kiss Each Other Clean."
"The result is a brighter, more focused record that retains the idiosyncratic elements that make Iron & Wine such an engaging band," reads a description on Iron & Wine's website.