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JOSEPH ARTHUR, "COME TO WHERE I'M FROM"
Following up his "Vacancy" mini album from last year, Joseph Arthur returns to the scene a bit wiser.
Lacking a lot of the sound experimentation featured on hisdebut album, "Big City Secrets", the theme of "Come To Where I'm From"seems to be perfecting the art of song craft. Beginning with thebittersweet acoustic-led "In The Sun", which has been a long-time livefavorite of Joe's fans and was also recorded by his mentor/label bossPeter Gabriel for a Princess Di tribute album, I had a bad feeling J.A.has gone soft and has given up his cutting edginess for more AOR-drivenpop balladeering. "Chemical" and "History", with their flickeringsounds fluttering around the song's jangly pop heart like butterflywings of distortion, are refreshing reminders that no matter howradio-friendly Joe gets, he's still head-and-shoulders above most ofhis pop-driven peers. Giving further props to Tom Waits, such as"Bottle Of Me" from "Big City Secrets", "Invisible Hands" is alate-night lovers lament, with it's big drums, echoey guitar, andwhispered vocals - personal, sensual, and enticing. "Come To Where I'mFrom" is, essentially, both homage to the genius of the late JeffBuckley and a promise to carry on in the creation of ecstatic,groundbreaking music. Beautifully honest and sublime.
Lacking a lot of the sound experimentation featured on hisdebut album, "Big City Secrets", the theme of "Come To Where I'm From"seems to be perfecting the art of song craft. Beginning with thebittersweet acoustic-led "In The Sun", which has been a long-time livefavorite of Joe's fans and was also recorded by his mentor/label bossPeter Gabriel for a Princess Di tribute album, I had a bad feeling J.A.has gone soft and has given up his cutting edginess for more AOR-drivenpop balladeering. "Chemical" and "History", with their flickeringsounds fluttering around the song's jangly pop heart like butterflywings of distortion, are refreshing reminders that no matter howradio-friendly Joe gets, he's still head-and-shoulders above most ofhis pop-driven peers. Giving further props to Tom Waits, such as"Bottle Of Me" from "Big City Secrets", "Invisible Hands" is alate-night lovers lament, with it's big drums, echoey guitar, andwhispered vocals - personal, sensual, and enticing. "Come To Where I'mFrom" is, essentially, both homage to the genius of the late JeffBuckley and a promise to carry on in the creation of ecstatic,groundbreaking music. Beautifully honest and sublime.
