Ray LaMontagne: “Winter Birds” Live Video

Here is a video of Ray LaMontagne performing “Winter Birds” from his new album Gossip in the Grain. But don’t be fooled, this song is certainly not representative of the musical diversity of this record. Yet, it is easily one of the best displays of LaMontagne’s ability to craft songs of astonishingly simple beauty–and arguably, he is at his best stripped down to the bone like this. A review of the album will be up on Tone Marrow sometime later in the week. Until then, enjoy the golden voice of Mr. Ray LaMontagne.

I saw LaMontagne in a small club in St. Louis in the Fall of 2005, and his voice ran up and down my spine while filling every nook and cranny of the room. I highly recommend the experience.

Oh, That Hair! Rivers Cuomo Alone II Out In Nov.

The good folks at Pitchfork have announced that River Cuomo, frontman of Weezer, will be releasing a follow-up to 2007’s Alone: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo. This one is creatively titled Alone II: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo and is due out on November 25, 2008.

There is also a very interesting interview with Rivers at Pitchfork.

I may review this album solely for the opprotunity to post the glorious cover again. Rivers claims the photo is real and “there was not an ounce of irony in the room when that photo was taken.” Behold the glory of a high school Rivers Cuomo:

Ryan Adams & The Cardinals: Cardinology

In recent years, the announcement of a new Ryan Adams record has elicited rolled eyes from those who have been following his work since the early 2000s and before. Maybe it is just the high volume of material that he has released that makes a new record anticlimactic. (Depending on whether or not you count his 2002 album of demos, Demolition, Cardinology would count as Adams ninth or tenth studio album since 2000 [this is not counting the multiple unreleased full-length albums that have been circulating underground over the last few years].) Or perhaps it is the quality of this work that has started to wear on fans–the past nine years have found Adams to be, shall we say, inconsistent. Not only has he completely changed genres for each album–going from the alt-country brilliance of Heartbreaker to the slick, country-rock/pop of 2001’s Gold, as well as the rockin’ angry protest to his record label, Rock N Roll and the gratifying British pop/rock-inspired, Love Is Hell–most of them have featured some spectacular tunes alongside some forgettable ones. This was particularly true in 2005, when he released three albums: the double LP Cold Roses and then the full-fledged country album Jacksonville City Nights (both featuring the Cardinals) followed by the interesting, yet weak 29. Each album featured songs ranging from wonderful to just plain bad. One wonders what the result would have been had he collected only the best of these for release. In light of all this history, many will be delighted to hear that Cardinology may be that consistent record that we always knew that Adams was capable of making.

The last time we heard from Adams was last year’s Easy Tiger–and it sort of felt like Adams was phoning it in, like he was just making a “Ryan Adams record.” It contained an unremarkable strain of country-rock, but the worst part of it was that it noticeably lacked the passion of Adams’ early work (maybe three albums in a year can do that to you). However, Cardinology doesn’t feel that way at all and, ironically, as a result, it does sound more like a Ryan Adams record. Adams has reunited with the Cardinals to record his first full-length with them since Jacksonville City Nights. Here Adams is combining all of the genres he has experimented with in the past into a record of songs that sound like they genuinely belong together. The pianos from Love Is Hell, the slide guitars from Jacksonville City Nights, and even a dash of the the jagged guitar work from Rock N Roll show up here. Most noticeably, the passion is back, Adams seems to be enjoying playing these songs, enjoying playing with the Cardinals again, and enjoying his still fairly new life of sobriety.

Not only does Adams take the strengths of his previous work and seamlessly weave them together into a refreshing fabric, it seems that the now sober Adams has either begun to write better songs or to at least have the wisdom to discern which songs are worthy of being recorded. There really isn’t a track that causes your finger to tickle the skip button in the whole bunch. Things start off strong with “Born Into A Light” which explores issues of faith while showcasing Adams’ country influences before the classic rock inspired “Go Easy” hearkens back to Adams’ Gold days. “Fix It” with its funky guitar riffs and memorable melody is a good segue into the snaggy guitars on “Magick” and the compelling chorus of “Cobwebs”–both of which are fun, satisfying songs that could have fit in well on Rock N Roll with the other patent homages to U2–only these are better.

While the first half of the album features electric guitars unleashed, much of the second half finds Adams drawing the listener in close with the intimate strumming of acoustic guitars and tender piano chords. One of the best songs on the record, “Crossed Out Name”, begins with steady acoustic guitars but slowly builds with an affecting piano and celestial synthesizers to a poignant conclusion which sounds like classic Ryan Adams. Though stylistically, the dense layers of “Sink Ships” and the free-flowing singer/songwriter style of “Evergreen” are rather different, they fit together well here with Adams’ emotive, meaningful vocal performances on each. At the end of “Sink Ships” when Adams sings “The war is over/the war is over/the war is over”, he sounds like a man who is weary from battling his personal demons but ultimately confident of victory. The whole thing comes to a stirring close with the confessional “Stop”–perhaps the best ballad ever to come from Adams’ pen, in which he deals candidly with substance abuse and addiction. Adams’ voice sounds fragile and at times heart-wrenching, and his lyrics are quite moving. He sings “I know a sickness so ancient and cross/No crucifix can ever fix enough/I know a past where the future is lost/I know a line that must be walked/There is a darkness and there is a light…If you want it to stop–Stop” while strings build quietly to create a tragic, yet hopeful finale. If it hasn’t been obvious before this point, it should be clear now that Adams cares about these songs and there is real passion and real emotion stirring in these songs.

Though at first glance, the title of this record may seem bizarre or gimmicky, it does suit the record well (but I’m still not sure what to make of the cover art). Cardinology is apparently the study of what the Cardinals do best, namely, making enjoyable alternative country-rock music. Perhaps the title is also a way of Adams thanking/apologizing to the Cardinals for having to endure his antics and infamous erratic behavior at shows in the last few years. Regardless of the title’s meaning, the music within is certainly a return to form for Ryan Adams. Adams and the Cardinals are in top form here, creating an album that, though isn’t earth shattering, is consistent, memorable, and enjoyable and certainly the best Ryan Adams record since Love Is Hell. Many fans (old and new) can now begin to look forward to the future work from the sober Adams and his Cardinals–and knowing Ryan Adams, we won’t have to wait long, which, after hearing this record, is a good thing.

Ryan Adams & The Cardinals
Cardinology
Lost Highway, 2008
Rating: 4.0/5.0

Barry Adamson: Back to the Cat [Mini-Review]

Listening to Barry Adamson’s Back to the Cat inevitably conjures up images of late-night, smokey bars and lounges that could be in Memphis, New York, or almost any other American city. Mr. Adamson, formerly of Magazine and Nick Cave’s Bad Seeds, has made an album of dark and sultry, bluesy-jazz/rock–or is it jazzy-rock/blues?–whatever it is, its intoxicating. Its the horns that really define the record’s sound. They appear on nearly every song adding personality and atmosphere galore!

The first track, “The Beaten Side of Town”, captures the vibe of the record very well. In it, Adamson sings about an apocalyptic dream and the ragged, dilapidated areas found in some city that could be anywhere in the country. The song opens with a piano chord hanging in the air, the tapping of a cymbal, the rap of a snare drum, a smooth-talking bass line, and the snapping fingers of a lounge singer–then enters Adamson’s splendid crooning “I woke up this morning from a crazy dream…”

Considering the mood of these songs you might expect a gravelly growl in the vein of Tom Waits, but Adamson has a voice that is sharp, crisp, and smooth creating an interesting contrast to the down and dirty circumstances about which he sings. This makes it all the more intriguing because while the lyrics might fit in well on a Tom Waits record, there certainly isn’t any of the messy, junkyard blues of Waits’ recent years showing up on Back to the Cat. These songs, like Adamson’s voice, are slick and shiny–like a used car salesman on the beaten side of town. All of it really boils down to one word–seedy–but its wonderfully so.

Back to the Cat features two instrumental numbers, the chaotic “Shadow of Death Hotel” and the dark jazz-fusion-inspired “Flight”–as well as two surprisingly poppy songs, the organ-fueled “Straight ‘Til Sunrise” and the toe-tapper “Civilization.” Overall, it is a humid, sticky, seedy affair that is just too much fun to miss.

Its a frank album that will likely feel right at home in your CD player–for more on Back to the Cat, check out the review that turned me onto Barry Adamson over at The Hust Review.

Barry Adamson
Back to the Cat
Central Control, 2008
Rating: 4.0/5.0

Department of Eagles: In Ear Park

The real delight on In Ear Park exists down in the subterranean layers of the songs. You can feel those clumpy stomps, light-as-a-feather strings, and ghostly groans coming from some basement of the netherworld on “Classical Records” and it is mesmerizing. This song is not an exception, but the rule—to really appreciate this record it must be given a careful listen, preferably with headphones to limit distractions. There is always something surprising and wonderfully bizarre floating to the surface in the river of sounds that is coursing under these songs. Groans and creaks, eerie harmonies, tight tapestries of guitars, and other unidentifiable instruments and noises rise up and give In Ear Park so many of its textured layers. If it sounds familiar, it may be because In Ear Park bears more than a little resemblance to Grizzly Bear’s tour de force 2006 album, Yellow House, and there is good reason for that—the man responsible for one-half of GB’s songwriting, Daniel Rossen, is also one-half of the Department of Eagles—and the similarities don’t end there.

DoE was started by NYU roommates Daniel Rossen and Fred Nicolaus in 2001 and the duo released a few albums featuring a unique mish-mash of folk, electronica, and sampling. The group went on a brief hiatus when Rossen joined up with Grizzly Bear in time to play guitar and contribute songwriting and lead vocals to about half the songs on their break-through record Yellow House. When Rossen and Nicolaus decided to cut a new DoE record, they chose to go in a new direction, one that even Rossen has admitted sounds a lot like Grizzly Bear with its elaborate vocal harmonies, banjos, pianos, and guitars woven together into a tight, antique-sounding fabric of music (though they haven’t completely abandoned their electronica/sampling habits). To further the GB connections, Rossen has brought in Chris Taylor (bass, flute, woodwinds) and Christopher Bear (drums) to play on this record as well. Furthermore, Chris Taylor, who produced Yellow House heads up production here with the assistance of DoE. All that to say, don’t be shocked when this sounds similar to Yellow House—and yet don’t be surprised when it quickly moves on and explores different musical avenues.

While the banjo/guitar/echo-y vocal combo at the beginning of “Balmy Night” sounds exactly a lost track from Yellow House, the song moves on to feature a plethora of other sounds and instruments. Herein lies a big difference between Grizzly Bear and the new Department of Eagles–much of In Ear Park adds the meat to those bones that Yellow House occasionally left bare. Also, Department of Eagles have taken Grizzly Bear’s knack for creating songs that sound both fresh and antiquated and run with it. This is particularly true on tracks like “Floating on the Leheigh” and “Teenagers” which almost feel like they could be played through scratchy phonographs in haunted hotels of the 1920s.

There is a wealth of vocal harmonies floating around in the background of nearly every song, sounding like  some haunted Beach Boys choir. DoE have crafted a record that is delightfully unsettling, drenched in melancholy, almost giving a sense of paranoia, and yet proves to be a joy to get lost in. The opener, “In Ear Park”, features layers of plucked acoustic guitars chasing one another as piano and drums are added all whilst a cello bow glides to and fro creating a ghostly mood that is sustained throughout the record. Yet when Rossen sings the opening words “All of us walk alone, steady line/And now that you’re gone/I have nothing but time” it appears that there is more going on here. The record is dedicated to the memory of Rossen’s late father, Steve Rossen, and themes of loss and fear permeate the album. As a result of being emotionally-crafted, several of these songs are able to stir emotions even when the words are difficult to interpret. This is clearly felt on “Waves of Rye” when bewildering words are sung in a heart-wrenching manner and on “Balmy Night” when banjos and other instruments surge all at once into a beautiful mess in which no individual part is really discernible.

Some may tire of Rossen’s voice as he sings lead on all songs but “Teenagers” and “Classical Records” (which Nicloaus manages just fine) and there is a similar effect on his voice in nearly every song—it sounds uniquely recognizable, but may grow tiresome for some listeners. Honestly, there is so much going on in the layers of these songs that sometimes its easy to forget about the vocals. From the horns lurking in “Teenagers” to the heavenly guitars rippling along the underside of the endearing  “No One Does It Like You” to the sounds of whispers, shuffling feet, and trains on “Interlude” and creaking chairs and electronic noises on “Phantom Other” there are surprises hiding in the shadows in all of these songs and it is a real joy to listen closely and let them float around the room. In Ear Park is a perfect record to scratch that Grizzly Bear itch as you await their new album (due sometime in 2009), but its more than that—it’s a record that easily stands on its own two feet as it welds melody with experiment, the antique with the novel; and it will likely prove to be a very agreeable companion as the leaves fall off the trees and the days grow shorter in 2008.

Department of Eagles
In Ear Park
4AD, 2008
Rating: 4.0/5.0

TV on the Radio: Dear Science,

No band has better tapped into the mood and vibe of post-9/11 America than a little band from Brooklyn called TV on the Radio. They have consistently created a paranoid, occasionally angry, apocalyptic blend of soul, funk, pop, hip-hop, electronica, and rock, with a few dashes of Radiohead and even some doo-wop in there as well. They made a big splash in 2006 with Return to Cookie Mountain which although was not quite a protest album, had much to say about living in an America at war, an America enveloped in fear, an America that was beginning to feel restless and angry. Cookie Mountain captured all these thoughts and emotions well. Dear Science, is, like its 2006 predecessor, a single unit–both in its music and its ideas, and should be listened to as such.

While it works well as a single unit, it also explores lots different avenues musically–this is what we’ve come to expect from TVotR and its what we love about them. They have the unusual ability to combine the squeal and roar of rocking guitars, funky bass lines, and electronic noises and sounds with other musical influences without making songs that sound overwhelming or crowded. Yet, its the thumping, rumbling, hip-hop drum beats, the versatile, soulful vocal stylings of Tunde Adebimpe and Kyp Malone, and the staggering horns that rise to the top and give TVotR their distinctive sound. And, oh, those horns! They are featured a good bit on Dear Science, and are warmly welcomed because of the chill and grandeur they brought to tracks like “I Was A Lover” on Cookie Mountain. TVotR are still channeling Prince without overtly mimicking him and their smart, occasional use of the high falsetto vocals (which bear an uncanny resemblance to the falsetto crooning of Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon) fit right at home on Dear Science,. David Sitek (guitars, producing, and more), Gerard Smith, and Jaleel Bunton (both preforming a plethora of instruments) are back for this recording as well and the group is better for it. Its stunning how much each of these guys does on the album–one of the reasons TVotR is such a stellar group is that each member brings so much talent and creativity to the table that they are able to create songs that are just bursting with life and beauty.

The madness begins on the opener “Halfway Home” where primitive rhythms and handclaps collide with futuristic, swirling synthesizers to form a truly memorable song. The hum of the synths hang in the background just building tension until it is all released in the fourth minute as the title of the song is finally sung and the guitars kick the door in. This is a trick they employ several times throughout this wonderfully satisfying record—tensions build up throughout these songs and find their release. When things get wild, they quickly slow it down on the next track providing a perfectly balanced set of songs. The variation in tempo and intensity are one of the many aspects that make this album feel so fresh on each listen. These songs are rich, dense, and complex and yet they are also simply fun to listen to. You can go as deep as you want searching for themes and meaning here or you can just crank it up and dance to it, what else could you ask for?

TVotR’s use of imagery is impressive–they range from the Old Testament locales of The Garden of Eden and Babylon to bombs falling and “the blood of the saints shot down in the square”–and those are all from just one song, “Red Dress.” They are able to evoke emotions and images in the mind with lyrics that are vivid and intricate. It almost feels as if TVotR are getting us ready for a party on this record–and in a way, perhaps they are. They tell us to be careful with our dancing shoes in “Dancing Choose”, prepare for the golden age to come in “Golden Age” (“The age of miracles/The age of sound/Well there’s a Golden Age Comin’ round, comin’ round, comin’ round”), and they tell us to “Go ahead put your red dress on/Days of white robes have come and gone/Come and gone/Oh you rivers, oh you waters run” on “Red Dress.” It certainly feels like TVotR are getting us ready for an important celebration–one brought about not by science, but by miracles and love—or perhaps the miracle OF love. Dear Science, and Return to Cookie Mountain are two sides of the same coin. Being made only two years apart they are both born out of roughly the same national and cultural circumstances, yet, while it could be argued Cookie Mountain saw the glass half empty, Dear Science, sees it as half full. And what of the other great songs on the record–the funky, addictive “Cryin’” and the moving, slow-builder “Love Dog” and the thumpy, guitar-fueled “Shout Me Out”? Sadly, there just isn’t enough space to mention the ins and outs of each of these brilliant songs.

Dear Science, reaches its apocalyptic climax in the stunning “DLZ.” It feels as if the end of the world is near, and TVotR is providing the accompaniment. There are death professors and bolts falling off of levers as well as the dog that wants her bones AND has lost her lead–add to this the thunderclap percussion, the eerie synths and you’ve got a downright frightening, chaotic song. It comes to a peak amazingly well in the cryptic final seconds in which the phrase “This is beginning to feel like the dawn of the luz of forever” is repeated several times. Yet neither the world nor the record end on “DLZ.” The final track, “Lover’s Day”, opens to the clear morning of a new day and there is peace. “Lover’s Day” describes in no uncertain terms the joys of romantic love. It seems to be pointing to the lighter things in life, namely, love, romance, relationships, and miracles. The song ends with Kyp Malone promising that there are miracles on Lover’s Day and he sings “I’m gonna take you home.” The album that begins in a “Halfway Home” ends with the promise of being returned to a place of belonging and security. Again, there is a hopefulness here, a redemption even, that perhaps wasn’t as clear on Return to Cookie Mountain. The paranoia and fear that have marked much of the first decade of the 21st century will not last forever say TV on the Radio. America will survive the long night and when that happens the bright horns of the angelic marching band that bring Dear Science, to a close will provide the soundtrack because, chances are, we’ll still be listening to this astonishing record on that day.

TV on the Radio
Dear Science,
Interscope, 2008
Rating: 5.0/5.0

Department of Eagles: “No One Does It Like You” Video

This week Department of Eagles released an LP, In Ear Park. This band is made up of 3/4 of Grizzly Bear (minus only GB-founder Ed Droste) and subsequently sound very similar to much of the music on Yellow House. I picked up the album today and I am enjoying it very much so far. Hopefully, a proper review will be up by the middle of next week. Until then, enjoy this tasty treat: “No One Does It Like You” preformed on Conan earlier this week.

Kaki King: Dreaming of Revenge

To say that Kaki King is one of the greatest female guitarists recording today is certainly a true statement, after all, she was the first female to have been granted the illustrious “guitar god” status in 2006 by Rolling Stone. Yet, this statement actually may be a disservice to her because it narrows the field too much–not only is she one of the best female guitarists recording today, she is surely among the best guitarists recording today. She established this when she officially came on the music scene in 2003 with her debut, Everybody Loves You. She has recorded two more full-lengths since then (2004’s Legs To Make Us Stronger and 2006’s …Until We Felt Red). Many have also may have enjoyed her abilities unknowingly if they saw the 2007 film August Rush in which she preformed as the main character’s hands during the guitar parts. Now, in 2008, King has released a new record, Dreaming of Revenge in which we find the guitar virtuoso carving out more space for melodies and singing.

Its no surprise to learn that Kaki King’s first love is for the drums–in fact, she only concentrated her efforts on guitar after she realized that that is where he huge talents lie; that’s not to slight her drumming ability however, she plays most of the drums on this record and she does so very well. Her passion and background in drumming is something fans should be thankful for as it has played such an important role in forming her guitar playing style which shows great focus on rhythms, particularly in her masterful tapping and slapping of the strings. You don’t have to get very far into her new album before encountering some of this great rhythmic guitar styling–on the opener, “Bone Chaos in the Castle,” she dives right into some furious tapping, slapping, and knocking on that acoustic guitar. There are also some ghostly synths playing in the background while an electric guitar comes in to “sing” over all of it. Flying an electric guitar “voice” over a sea of acoustic strumming and picking is a technique she uses on several instrumental songs here and it works well.

In the past, the complaint about Kaki King by some listeners has been that there is too much rhythm and not enough melody. Also, some just aren’t that into instrumental guitar music which much of King’s music has been thusfar. On Dreaming of Revenge, King takes steps to appeal to a broader audience. The instrumentals are more melodic, especially with the electric guitars acting vocally and repeating licks and progressions to form melodies. King sings several songs as well which is good and bad. She has a youthful, girlish voice that feels so fragile that it creates a very intimate climate on the vocal tracks. Some of her best singing shows up on “Life Being What It Is”–a song that communicates a depth of emotion in the lyrics, the singing, and even the guitar playing. There is clearly passion and emotion in her vocals on this album but not very much range. At the end of the day, her decision to sing is a good thing–something hopefully she continues and the benefits of which will be seen in her future work.

One of the finest aspects of this record are the strings that so often show up in the background particularly on “Open Mouth” (which boasts the best moments of guitar tapping/slapping on the record)–they add to the free-flowing spirit of the record. There are several upbeat tracks like “Pull Me Out Alive” and “Montreal” that will get the feet a-tappin’–but much of the record is ethereal, fluid, and soothing. “Air and Kilometers” features several layers of guitars clicking together and at first sounds like something from baroque-pop musician, Sufjan Stevens–but the song quickly moves in other directions in to form a warm and sunny song. Which is a refreshing moment as much of this album moves through the icy terrain similar to dark blue hue of the album’s cover. The closer “2 O’clock” features some of her most emotive lyrics and some of her most impressive guitar work on the album. The song has some sparse moments and it brings the record to a fitting close with some shadowy steel guitar.

Carlos Santana, who is sure to make any significant list of “great guitarists,” once said that guitarists are born, not taught. That sounds about right–and Kaki King was definitely born to play guitar. Another important mark in a guitarist is the ability to express emotions so well in the playing that the listener can’t help but feel it themselves. A superb example of this is in The Beatles’ “Something.” This Harrison-led song is surely one of the greatest love songs ever written, with its beautiful lyrics and sad melody–yet, the guitar solo in that song expresses more love, pain, and, joy than all the lyrics combined. Its as if the guitar is talking and singing–this is one of the many gifts that Kaki King has and displays on Dreaming of Revenge. While none of these songs hits the level of “Something,” there are many moments when her guitar talks and sings to the listener and communicates more than many singers’ voices could. Its a singing that guitar lovers and Kaki King fans in particular should hear.

Kaki King
Dreaming of Revenge
Velour, 2008
Rating: 3.5/5.0

Loudon Wainwright III: Recovery

Time changes nearly everything. It changes people, circumstances, perspectives, and thus, can even change the meaning behind words. It might take 10 days or 100 years, but it happens inevitably and often old words can blossom with new meaning and understanding. Loudon Wainwright III’s 2008 record Recovery is, among other things, a study of this phenomenon. Wainwright teams up again with producer Joe Henry with whom he collaborated on 2007’s Knocked Up soundtrack titled Strange Weirdos, and together they have selected a batch of songs from Wainwright’s first three albums (and one song from his fourth) from the 1970s and re-interpreted them thirty-five years later. Don’t be fooled though, this is not a greatest hits record nor is it an easy way to make a little money–it is Wainwright taking the same words and music that he wrote in his twenties and filling them with new meaning and new beauty as he records them again in his sixties.

One of the main differences in these songs is that they now feature a backing band while originally most of them featured only voice and guitar. The same players, along with the talented producer Joe Henry, are back from the Strange Weirdos sessions and its a good thing because this is a talented group of musicians. Patrick Warren on keyboards, David Piltch plays bass, Jay Bellerose on the drums, and Greg Leisz plays the guitar. These guys are responsible not only for the great performances on Strange Weirdos but also on Joe Henry’s own staggeringly good 2007 record, Civilians (on which Wainwright provides backing vocals) and other projects. In other words, this group has logged quite a few hours in the studio together and it shows here–they are all on the same page. As great as the band is, this still remains very much a singer-songwriter record–after all, that’s who Wainwright is. Although, the performances in the background are complex and beautiful, they remain where they are–in the background and they never detract from Wainwright’s voice and guitar. However, the person who is really responsible for this balancing act is Henry. There is at least one really good reason for Wainwright to work with Joe Henry again: no one in his lengthy career has ever made him sound better. Certainly, Wainwright’s other work is enjoyable, but with Recovery he and Henry hit their second home run in as many years.

Musically, these songs still feel very folk-y, but the band assist in providing some country-rockin’ moments on ”Black Uncle Remus” and some bluesy elements to “Muse Blues” which is probably the most well-written song on the subject of writer’s block. Some country-infused guitar work shows up all over the place, notably on “New Paint” and “Be Careful There’s A Baby In The House” adding some welcomed musical variety to Recovery. The band adds great depth and beauty to these songs by fleshing them out and exploring the full potential of their melodies. However, the real treasure in these tunes comes from the transformation in the spirit and meaning of each of these songs. Gone is the arrogant twenty-something folk singer with a smirk on his face, there is a now a much older man with a lifetime of scars–be they from broken romances, tumultuous relationships with his children, the death of his mother, or simply the pain of aging (all of which he has sung about elsewhere). He voice is deeper now (but sounding better than ever as he can still belt it out and grab those high notes) and its filled with an emotional tenderness that has been building over the years and has reached near-perfection here. Henry and Wainwright carefully selected the songs for this project and it shows–almost every track bursts with a wealth of new meaning this time around and it is a  real treat for the listener.

When Wainwright sings about his loneliness and a desperate attempt at wooing a fan to his motel room in “Motel Blues”, we hear something in his voice–something that wasn’t there all those years ago–perhaps its a knowledge of where these situations will go and how they will end–but it also sounds an awful lot like regret. He sings: ”There’s a Bible in the drawer, don’t be afraid…never mind them desk clerks’ scowls/I’ll buy you breakfast, they’ll think you’re my wife…Oh, come up to my motel room and save my life.” There isn’t a nudge or a wink this time, but almost a sense of lament. Wainwright has frequently and plainly sung about his poor parenting in other songs which patently add new meaning and layers to “Be Careful There’s A Baby In The House.” The song “Saw Your Name In The Paper” which he undoubtedly wrote about himself and his own father, now carries fresh significance as his musical children, Rufus and Martha, are probably more well-known than their father. Wainwright realizes this and sings it accordingly. It’s moments like these throughout the record that really cause Recovery to mesmerize.

Wainwright’s albums have always included moments both poignant and hilarious and Recovery is no different. On “Drinking Song” (which boasts a spectacular drum beat by Mr. Bellerose) he provides some rather humorous descriptions of those given to the bottle: “Drunks talk strong when drunks are weak/It’s easy for a drunk to speak, straight from the heart/Yeah, drunks will fight they’re not afraid…It’s a manly art.” And yet the song carries with it some emotional resonance–at the end when he begins to sing and shout while reaching (and hitting) those high notes he sings: “Drunks get drunk and so it seems/drunkards go to great extremes/but there has yet to be a perfectly straight line” and for whatever mysterious reason, it sends chills up the spine. Does the chill come from the words? the voice? or some deep feelings bursting forth from Wainwright himself? It’s impossible to know for sure, but its probably a mixture of all three.

On “Movies are a Mother to Me”, Wainwright sings: “Sometimes I am my own enemy/sometimes my own enemy-it’s me/My enemy and me, we go see a good movie/And we come out friends again/Yeah, there’s nothing like the silver screen to patch things up and intervene/To bridge the gap that lies between Loudon and himself.” In a way, that is an appropriate description of what Wainwright does on this album. He is bridging the gap between himself as a young man and as an older man–he isn’t doing it through cinema, but through songs. Wainwright isn’t trying to completely change these songs–to do that would be to dishonor that twenty-something up-and-coming folk singer that wrote them and it doesn’t seem that he wants to do that–yet, its hard not to compare these songs with their originals and see the marked improvements in all of them. What Wainwright is doing is recovering them, making them better, fleshing them out, giving them new life and new meaning. At the same time, on another level, there seems to be a conversation between an older man and a younger man taking place on Recovery. Wainwright has aged and has learned many life lessons–its this wisdom that he implicitly shares with a younger, less experienced version of himself, as if warning him about troubles and trials that lie ahead–the listener gets to hear this conversation–and it is nothing short of brilliant.

Loudon Wainwright III
Recovery
Yep Roc, 2008
Rating: 4.0/5.0