Post by jptheprofessor on May 14, 2006 22:26:03 GMT -5
TED McCLOSKEY – WHO’S GONNA LISTEN ANYWAY (Voodoo Records) Ted McCloskey established himself as a musical adventurer on his first two albums; unafraid to mix styles, influences and colorful instrumentation into catchy pop songcraft. On his third album, Who’s Gonna Listen Anyway, McCloskey continues to experiment; giving us another clever, catchy, and unpredictable package of sounds. Every song is again different, as the album never stays in one spot for too long. Various styles intertwine around delectable melodies, topped with McCloskey’s raspy voicings of clever and observational lyrical character studies, self-explorations and vignettes. The Rolling Stones serve as a reference point for the punchy opening rocker “Jet Set Suffragette,” as well as “Someone Took Away Your Microphone.” A Beatles-inspired playfulness permeates the jazzy and vaudevillian ballad “Cathleen” and the dreamy “The Sun Behind the Wall,” the latter showcasing a beautiful flute solo by guest Adrienne “Aeb” Byrne of The Nightcrawlers. Other flavors include the folk-rock of “Also Unknown As;” the country-tinged pop of McCloskey’s tender duet with guest Dawn Kinnard, “A Little Mystery;” the delta blues-informed funk-rock of “The Church with the Neon Lights;” and the modern-edged pop of “The Great Inbetween.” While the prevailing vibe of the album is upbeat, it ends on a more serious tone with the somber, stunningly poignant gospel/delta blues ode to New Orleans and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina; “Enough to Make the Angels Weep.” McCloskey’s production is busy, as his use of various guitar and key textures, loops, layered backing vocals and other nuances paints bright colors and tones into the songs and prevents them from being routine or plain. After hearing Ted McCloskey breaking more new ground on Who’s Gonna Listen Anyway, here’s hoping that more people do listen, as this artist again proves himself to be an adventurer whose creations are well worth hearing. (The album can be obtained through Ted McCloskey’s website, www.tedmccloskey.com.)