Customer Reviews

Devil on Bench in Stanley Park

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After his first album blew me away like a warm august wind, I was avidly looking forward to his second album. At first I was underwhelmed, too sing-songish, but I had built up so much expectation. Slowly, as slow as the album moves, it grew on me, and I cannot go on a trip without it.
New-to-his-music folks should check out his first album, which is more dynamic, ranging from bluesy-gospel to alt-country.
His lyrics are poetic, both lulling and provocative. His instrumentation is like the third bowl of porridge, gripping but not overdone, and he never rushes his songs. Like a tall glass of water.
I love both his albums.

This album is a smooth mix of Alt Country goodness. It's a mellow album, with all the songs following the same mellow groove. You could almost call it chill country I guess! I have heard this guy compared to Ryan Adams and I think it's a fair comparison, but Ryan's music has a lot more life and vigor. I kind of wish the album would have a bit more varied song styles or be a bit more dynamic.

The sound quality is very good, it has a golden analog/tube sound that is very addictive (and suprising in a CD). The voice is very well-miked and the guitars play liquid gold. The achilles heel of the album though is the lack of dynamics, the instruments never really break through the polite mix, and the music never really takes off.