The Personist
06/26/08, 01:05 PM
Richard Julian - Sunday Morning in Saturday's Shoes
Record Label: Manhattan Records
Release Date: February 26, 2008
I’ve never liked the pop-folk (if you could call it folk) stylings of such “sensitive guys” as Jack Johnson. The bland introspection and sleazy sentimentality just kills it for me. Thankfully, not everyone ends up releasing the same album three times. Some people can create a set of interesting and fun tunes that tear through the muggy and humid stagnation of the Jack Johnson's of the world with a cool breeze of folky fun. Richard Julian's Sunday Morning In Saturday’s Shoes is exactly that cool breeze we sorely need.
From the first notes of “World Keeps On,” Julian captures a very folky and Southern sound. The twanging guitars accent the smoky vocals (very much reminiscent of Lyle Lovett) and help the lyrics come to the fore. These lyrics, which tell the tale of how nothing, not even prayer or misery or forgetting sun tan lotion, can stop the slogging along of the world. It’s a very catchy song, one that is decidedly more somber than the rest of the album. The second track, “If You Stay,” is a sweet little ditty begging a lover to stay. The lyrics are simple, and the delivery of them passionate and urgent, helped along by brisk drumming and bouncy acoustic guitars.
“Spring Is Just Around The Corner” is a song that Lyle Lovett himself could have written and recorded. The swinging drums and bass create an easy and relaxed feeling, and the accentuation provided by the strums of guitars make this easy listening. Sadly, the satirically optimistic lyrics blend in too much with the rest of the mix, making for a soothing song, but one in which the message intended is inadvertently buried. The up-tempo shuffle of “Brooklyn In The Morning” is similarly dragged down by the heavy blend of all the sounds together. The rhythm and the keys overpower the melody and hide the lyrics, which paint a vivid picture of what a morning in Brooklyn is like from the eyes of one observer.
“Can’t Go Back” features my favorite lyric on the album: “Life is a dream that comes in between your birthday and your heart attack.” This confirms the earlier sarcasm of “Spring,” and the wistful way in which Julian croons this song sets him apart from the angry cynics. He is a hopeful dreamer, and a tuneful one at that, and this song finds him lamenting the sad shuffle to which life has been boiled down.
“A Thousand Days” throws me for a loop. On the one hand, I kind of enjoy the simplistic arrangement of Julian and his guitar. On the other hand, however, I can’t help but squirm when I hear the melody plucked directly from Bob Dylan’s “The Times Are A-Changin’” dancing in his voice. The inflections are even similar to Dylan’s in that song, which, to a Dylanphile such as myself, is death penalty fare. Aside from that, the song seems to drag as it seeks stylistic validation from both Dylan and Lovett at once, which results in a rambling narrative too understated to be as emphatic or powerful as Dylan and an instrumentation too sparse and flimsy to be as solid as Lovett.
The next song, “God III,” is a silly throwaway song mocking materialistic and earthly idolatry, but is ultimately forgettable in its execution and its message. The next song, “Man In The Hole,” finds Julian getting in touch with his inner-Dylan lyrically. Every aspect of the song ekes Dylan influence, from the rambling narrative to the rhymes used to the vocal inflections. The man in the song keeps digging a hole until he is so deep he cannot climb out, and thus does he realize his “fatal design.” This is my favorite song on the album, as it is worthy to be compared to Dylan positively. The instrumentation irks me, however, in that the keyboards and percussion seem to overpower the soft guitar plucking, which detracts from the homely feel that the lyrics and delivery suggest.
The rest of the album never recaptures the magic of “Man In The Hole.” “Syndicated” is a bouncing jab at exported consumerism, but its metaphor is transparent and seems a bit contrived. The title track is a somber snooze, with inconsequential lyrics and a boring melody, and though the final song, “Morning Bird,” is beautifully melodic and melancholic, ending on a bittersweet note of a love lost.
Overall, Julian manages to break the monotony and craft a fun summer album of folksy tunes that far surpasses the run-of-the-mill Jack Johnson types. Despite some shortcomings, Sunday Morning In Saturday’s Shoes is a delightful diversion from that world that just keeps on, and a promising sign of good things to come from one Richard Julian.
Lyle Lovett, Bob Dylan, Jack Johnson with talent and musical variety
myspace.com/richardjulian (http://www.myspace.com/richardjulian)
Record Label: Manhattan Records
Release Date: February 26, 2008
I’ve never liked the pop-folk (if you could call it folk) stylings of such “sensitive guys” as Jack Johnson. The bland introspection and sleazy sentimentality just kills it for me. Thankfully, not everyone ends up releasing the same album three times. Some people can create a set of interesting and fun tunes that tear through the muggy and humid stagnation of the Jack Johnson's of the world with a cool breeze of folky fun. Richard Julian's Sunday Morning In Saturday’s Shoes is exactly that cool breeze we sorely need.
From the first notes of “World Keeps On,” Julian captures a very folky and Southern sound. The twanging guitars accent the smoky vocals (very much reminiscent of Lyle Lovett) and help the lyrics come to the fore. These lyrics, which tell the tale of how nothing, not even prayer or misery or forgetting sun tan lotion, can stop the slogging along of the world. It’s a very catchy song, one that is decidedly more somber than the rest of the album. The second track, “If You Stay,” is a sweet little ditty begging a lover to stay. The lyrics are simple, and the delivery of them passionate and urgent, helped along by brisk drumming and bouncy acoustic guitars.
“Spring Is Just Around The Corner” is a song that Lyle Lovett himself could have written and recorded. The swinging drums and bass create an easy and relaxed feeling, and the accentuation provided by the strums of guitars make this easy listening. Sadly, the satirically optimistic lyrics blend in too much with the rest of the mix, making for a soothing song, but one in which the message intended is inadvertently buried. The up-tempo shuffle of “Brooklyn In The Morning” is similarly dragged down by the heavy blend of all the sounds together. The rhythm and the keys overpower the melody and hide the lyrics, which paint a vivid picture of what a morning in Brooklyn is like from the eyes of one observer.
“Can’t Go Back” features my favorite lyric on the album: “Life is a dream that comes in between your birthday and your heart attack.” This confirms the earlier sarcasm of “Spring,” and the wistful way in which Julian croons this song sets him apart from the angry cynics. He is a hopeful dreamer, and a tuneful one at that, and this song finds him lamenting the sad shuffle to which life has been boiled down.
“A Thousand Days” throws me for a loop. On the one hand, I kind of enjoy the simplistic arrangement of Julian and his guitar. On the other hand, however, I can’t help but squirm when I hear the melody plucked directly from Bob Dylan’s “The Times Are A-Changin’” dancing in his voice. The inflections are even similar to Dylan’s in that song, which, to a Dylanphile such as myself, is death penalty fare. Aside from that, the song seems to drag as it seeks stylistic validation from both Dylan and Lovett at once, which results in a rambling narrative too understated to be as emphatic or powerful as Dylan and an instrumentation too sparse and flimsy to be as solid as Lovett.
The next song, “God III,” is a silly throwaway song mocking materialistic and earthly idolatry, but is ultimately forgettable in its execution and its message. The next song, “Man In The Hole,” finds Julian getting in touch with his inner-Dylan lyrically. Every aspect of the song ekes Dylan influence, from the rambling narrative to the rhymes used to the vocal inflections. The man in the song keeps digging a hole until he is so deep he cannot climb out, and thus does he realize his “fatal design.” This is my favorite song on the album, as it is worthy to be compared to Dylan positively. The instrumentation irks me, however, in that the keyboards and percussion seem to overpower the soft guitar plucking, which detracts from the homely feel that the lyrics and delivery suggest.
The rest of the album never recaptures the magic of “Man In The Hole.” “Syndicated” is a bouncing jab at exported consumerism, but its metaphor is transparent and seems a bit contrived. The title track is a somber snooze, with inconsequential lyrics and a boring melody, and though the final song, “Morning Bird,” is beautifully melodic and melancholic, ending on a bittersweet note of a love lost.
Overall, Julian manages to break the monotony and craft a fun summer album of folksy tunes that far surpasses the run-of-the-mill Jack Johnson types. Despite some shortcomings, Sunday Morning In Saturday’s Shoes is a delightful diversion from that world that just keeps on, and a promising sign of good things to come from one Richard Julian.
Lyle Lovett, Bob Dylan, Jack Johnson with talent and musical variety
myspace.com/richardjulian (http://www.myspace.com/richardjulian)