Jeff Caudill - Try To Be Here
Record Label: Self-released
Release Date: Nov. 25, 2008
Who would've thought that one of the best alt. country albums released so far this year would come from a retread, under-the-radar singer/songwriter from a no-name California record label? Sure enough, former Gameface lead singer Jeff Caudill has released his second solo album Try To Be Here and man oh man is it something.
While the punk-rocker turned soft has been done many times before, few have ever done it as effortlessly or as crisply as Caudill does on this one. Though it begins rather lazily with the lackluster title track "Try To Be Here," there's little about this album that is lazy or lackluster. The problem with "Try To Be Here" as a song, is that Caudill's vocals are muted underneath a clatter of guitars, mellotron and drums. The intentions are earnest, but the end result is a hot mess. Thankfully, it's one of a select few clunkers on this surprisingly consistent and polished disc. The Eagles' sendup "Remember the Time," is the closest thing he has to a radio single and should probably be on an Uncut sampler and in the hands of AAA radio programmers across the country. "Stay Home," is a poignant and emotional yarn about his family that has the same gentle tug of Sherwood's "Lake Tahoe."
The album's next three though take the disc to a whole new level. "Spend," "Transition City" and "Reminder" are jangly, upbeat and chock full of catchy hooks, memorable lyrics and upbeat urgency. His ode to his Gameface roots, "I Was the Lead Singer," begins rather tepid with lukewarm verses before diving into an instantly memorable chorus, meanwhile his second attempt at sensitive, heart-on-the-sleeve meditation, the pensive "Dreaming in Real Time," begins rather boringly but ends with a flourish: a rousing piano and a gorgeous vocal outro. The album's last two rockers, "Song About a Pisces," and "Let's Get Lost," carry the pop sensibilities forward and have a swing and zest that's outrageously memorable and incredibly charming. The resounding conclusion is "All Things New" a pleasant and mid-tempo ode to rejuvenation that's inspirational and star-making.
Already hailed by the San Diego Troubadour as the "second coming of Michael Stipe" and likened to REM, The Replacements and The Lemonheads, Caudill makes a grand and indelible statement with Try To Be Here. Each of the 11 songs reveals a winning formula that blends sincerity, passion and pristine performance into one of the year's biggest and most unexpected surprises. With the help of actor/producer/musician/good friend Robbie Rist, Try To Be Here is a solid effort from start to finish and just may be the ticket to bring Caudill back onto the national stage once again.
i bought this from itunes awhile back because it sounded cool and it's not like anything I would ever listen to but I love it for some reason. It's so different
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