Ian C. Parker opens his collection of acoustic driven, low-key tunes with some thoughtful lyrics: It’ll wear on you like a mortgage or some other debt . . . It’ll wear on you like cancer or some other death, he sings on “Moving Death,” a peculiarly happy-sounding, jangly major-key jam, and the opener to his album Somebody Else.

While not incredibly complex, the song has a cool vibe to it, and resembles the style of Dylan and other guitar-wielding singer/songwriters.

Somebody Else proceeds with most of its remaining tracks, which are of a softer, more minor-key-centered quality. In general, the songs on the record are very gentle and minimalist, with light percussion and additional sonic ingredients cushioning Parker’s voice and guitar.

While a strummed acoustic usually takes the lead, a more subtle electric guitar creates texture and atmosphere in the background in songs such as “Forty Hour Dreams” and “Concrete Steps.”

Then, it’s on to a very satisfying, but somehow strangely familiar beat in “Either/Or,” like a haunting train coming around the bend.

The cover of the record features the figure of a zebra on a plain white background, somehow nicely representative of the music: not too flashy, but well-defined, attractive and tasteful.

The overall atmosphere of the album is pleasant and the melodies are often creative, but Mr. Parker’s voice can be somewhat rough, as he does not have an incredible range or power and, honestly, his pitch wavers at certain points. Still, that’s not a dealbreaker, as Dylan himself wasn’t the most refined vocalist and probably struggled with his intonation far more than Parker. So, if you like the idea of a man, his guitar and his poetry, give Ian Parker’s 8-song collection of stripped-down, easygoing tunes a listen.

Download or stream Somebody Else by Ian C. Parker at iancparker.bandcamp.com.