Promise, I Won't Laugh by Barna Howard

As you may already know, I am a big Bob Dylan fan. His sound could be called generic by others, but I've always found it extremely distinct, and hard to imitate properly. Barna Howard is an example of someone who, in my opinion, has pulled it off very successfully. Howard was born in Missouri, but moved to Portland to record his self-titled debut, which was released about a year ago. "Promise, I Won't Laugh" is the lead single off that album, and it's easy to see why. It tells the story of a man struggling to let go of a past lover, "can't you tell I'm lost by the way I reappear/ wishing on the words you said before," who is wrestling with whether he thinks it is still worth his efforts to try to woo this girl.
 It's a relatable song, if you've been through something like that. And if you haven't, it's just a well-crafted, lyrically-based, Dylan-esque, adjective worthy song, this is what you're looking for. Listen after the jump.