REVIEW : Redemption's Son - Houston Chronicle
'Ambiguous genius'
Enigmatic Joseph Arthur explores excellence again on 'Redemption's Son'
It's unjust that Beck could become a winner with Loser while Joseph Arthur toils in obscurity despite near-unanimous critical kudos.
Arthur's last album, Come to Where I'm From, was honored as the top album of the year for 2000 by heavyweight magazines including Entertainment Weekly and Newsday.
His progressive sound and traditional songwriting are highly touted by other musicians such as Peter Gabriel, who signed the rock artist to his world-music-dominated Real World label.
Yet few beyond the music industry know his name.
For Redemption's Son, Arthur continues his exploration of computer vs. man-made sounds, emphasizing bass loops and catchy guitar balladry.
Arthur's latest is not the masterpiece Come to Where I'm From was, but he sacrifices little in an attempt to find his own Loser.
The title track offers a soothing embrace of strings and Mellotron around Arthur's narration of comfort. The tranquility is threatened by a booming bass march, like an infantry unit coming over a hill. That he created this drama with references to faith and his father's cigar butts is his ambiguous genius.
Like the dark silhouettes haunting his CD cover's painting, Arthur's melodies offer peripheral moods and images shrouded by a more central focus.
Honey and the Moon is an understated country strum that introduces the soft hues of Fleetwood Mac-ish soft rock. It unfolds deftly, but the rural tone is set in the song's first seconds with what sounds like a tin can being spun on a broom handle. The hollow clang continues, coyly underneath, for the track's entirety.
Favorite Girl does a similar bait 'n' switch in its lyrics. The music sounds like an unexpected burst of adoration, but Arthur passively offers the compliment, "I'm so happy being unhappy with you."
Arthur is a loner, but labors to make his songs sound like an ensemble effort.
September Baby is as gentle as a warm bath, with its spare guitar and snare-drum whisper. Synthesized notes, crying like a melancholy tuning fork, are artificially sweetened dollops of chamber pop.
The extras aren't always necessary. Innocent World plays like an acoustic studio outtake of Arthur showcasing his fragile falsetto. Dressed up with synthesizers and faux violin strings, however, it suffers from overaccessorizing.
Arthur still may not have a hit on Redemption's Son, but he's once again proved that he's no loser.
Grade: B+
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