There’s a whole lot to like about Willis Earl Beal.  The 27-year old makes hauntingly soulful DIY music that, like his name, draws heavily on blues sensibilities.  Beal began by playing on street corners for quarters, but was eventually discovered and became the first signee to Hot Charity, an imprint of XL. The deal hasn’t made him any less humble, though, since he still lives with his grandmother on Chicago’s South Side.  On his website, he has promised to sing for you if you call him, or draw you a sketch if you write to him–truly a man of the people. Beal fashions himself as a “black Tom Waits,” and many agree, since they share those intense, smoke-laden vocals that cut straight to the soul.  But also like Waits, his versatility is what impresseses most.  Beal’s few tracks span across all forms of the vernacular: from blues that churns like a locomotive, to gospel songs of salvation, to more tender tracks of love lost.

His debut album, Acousmatic Sorcery, is due out in April, and I can assure you it’s one to look out for.  There are even rumors floating around that he’ll be opening for Wu Lyf at the Rock and Roll Hotel, an odd pairing for sure.  Be sure to check out more videos after the jump.