Published on Jul 5, 2001
Will the public ever regain an admiration for
singer/songwriters? When will the song, not the performer’s look or
attitude, but the actual song, ever become important again?
Unfortunately, I can’t answer this question. However, in the
meantime, there are a lot of talented songwriters toiling
anonymously, not for the fame, but for the sheer love of music.
One example of this is the Boston-based singer/songwriter Kevin
McCluskey. McCluskey, a Berklee College of Music professor, has
recently put out a new CD called
Trust. Does he expect to make any money off of it? Well, no.
He is actually not going to make a dime off of it; the profits of
his CD are going to the Sierra Club and other non-profit
groups.
The CD starts off strongly with the slow, but powerful “Down The
Line”. This is a soul-searching tune that tries to answer the
question posed in the opening lines “What’s a Man?/What’s he
worth?”. The mood is perfectly set with McCluskey’s minor key
acoustic guitar, and an a ominous bass solo by Michael Rivard.
I am a little disappointed that McCluskey did not build upon
this theme, although the song “Only Time Will Tell” does return to
it in the form of satire. Instead,
Trust displays a lot of moods and different musical
expressions. This is not surprising to me because by looking at the
copyright dates of the songs, I assume they were written years
apart. If the rest of
Trust is not quite as powerful as the opening song, there is
still plenty to like about this CD.
For example, “To The Sun” and “Fly Me Away” are solid love
songs. McCluskey has a good sense of melody. He gives these songs
and others on
Trust the kind of melodies that stick in your head. On the
other hand, these melodies can also make the songs seem deceptively
simple. “News From Home” sounds like it could be a commercial
jingle for life insurance, until the listener realizes this is a
song about two estranged brothers getting together after a long
absence.
The arrangements are very well done. Many of the songs are
backed by piano and/or acoustic guitar, and for extra seasoning,
the violin and dobro (in a humorous turn, McCluskey mispronounces
“dobro” and name checks the player, David Hamburger).
Trust also puts the Burns Sisters, as well as a vocal group
called The Swinging Steaks, to good use on backup vocals.
The last three songs show
Trust taking some unexpected turns. After the first song,
the CD pretty much plays along pleasantly, comfortable like a pair
of old sneakers, when suddenly we hit a bump in the road with “In
The Valley”. This song has a bit of sonic bite thanks to a funky,
electric guitar part that dominates what would have otherwise been
another melodic, midtempo song.
However, that is nothing compared to the last two cuts.
McCluskey has been compared to artists ranging from Bruce
Springsteen to Nick Lowe. One artist he is compared with is Warren
Zevon. I definitely hear this influence on the song “Brain Damage”,
where he is right on the money in capturing Zevon’s quirky brand of
rock. If Mr. Zevon ever hears this song, I would suspect that he
wished he had written it.
The final song, “Trouble”, is indeed a curiousity. McCluskey
displays an ability to mine an early Tom Waits tongue in cheek,
stream of consciousness style of jazz. This cut takes a little
while to get used to, and you are either going to eventually find
this charming or annoying. Personally, I found it charming. There’s
also some nice work here from Dave Limina on the B3 organ.
All in all,
Trust is a solid, enjoyable folk-rock album, and I recommend
it. However, if your local record store does not carry
Trust, you can find it at Borders Books, Newbury Comics (if
you are in the New England area), or visit the label’s website at
the link below.