Published on Apr 17, 2002
I have been reviewing music in some way, shape or form now for
17 years, and I still experience moments when I put in a disc from
an unknown artist, hit “play”… and find myself sitting up in my
easy chair, screaming, “What the hell was
that?!?” Sometimes, it’s an expression of disbelief that
someone would put out something so horrible that poison control
centers would use it to induce vomiting.
And then, there are the times I make that exclamation in
pleasure, as if I’ve come across a $20 bill while cleaning the
pockets of my pants on laundry day. Such was the case when I first
heard Philadelphia-based singer/songwriter Richard Kaufmann.
Imagine Elvis Costello and Neil Young rolled together, with a
healthy dose of Van Morrison thrown in just for flavor. That still
doesn’t quite do
Common Senses, Kaufmann’s debut release, the amount of
justice it deserves, but it’s a good springboard to introduce you
to an artist who you’re sure to hear a lot more from.
One has to admit off the bat that Kaufmann’s singing range is a
bit limited – normally something I’d call a weakness in an artist.
But in Kaufmann’s case, it almost adds a charming aspect to his
vocal delivery – just like you’re hearing someone pour his entire
being into these songs in case he were never to get a chance at
making an album again. Not that there’s a sense of urgency to these
10 songs, but Kaufmann most definitely gives his whole self in
these performances, and it pays off.
Stylistically, Kaufmann is all over the musical map (thus
earning the reference to Costello), yet he handles styles from
country with a funk tinge to it (“You Never Listen”) to all-out
alt-rock (“Shiver”) to pop balladry (“Shooting Stars & A Full
Moon,” “Ruby Sue”) with such agility that it seems almost natural
for the music to be so eclectic. Admittedly, Kaufmann’s vocal
delivery takes a moment or two to get used to, but he soon proves
himself more than capable on
Common Senses.
The only mis-step I can find is the closing track “Le Velo Noir”
– not that it’s a bad track, but that it seems almost
anti-climactic to the whole experience. Granted, it’s only a
two-minute-plus ballad, but it somehow just doesn’t sound like it
fits into the big picture – and, no, I’m not faulting Kaufmann’s
choice to deliver the lyrics in French. Chalk this one up to
personal preference, I guess.
This one slip notwithstanding, Kaufmann makes a strong case for
his musical future on
Common Senses, and demonstrates that he has both the talent
and heart to be given a chance on the front lines. Sure, such an
album might have fit in better in the late ’70s (around the same
time that Costello broke forth), but there’s still an argument to
be made that such music is commercially viable today. Besides, if
anyone deserves a chance to prove its mettle, why not give Kaufmann
the benefit of the doubt? Seems to me like he’s earned that chance
with this disc.