Published on Feb 7, 2002
The American music scene has been filled with songwriters who
pride themselves on being storytellers. Some of them capture
people’s hearts, such as Bruce Springsteen or Bob Dylan. Others try
to capture the darker side of life and remind people that not
everything is peaches and cream.
John Washburn is another in this long line of
singer/songwriters. On his debut release
Stumbling Still Warm…, he tries to capture a slice of
Americana with a folk/country-tinged approach to his music. While
he does show great promise in his craft, sometimes his approach to
the music is a touch too soft.
As a singer/songwriter, Washburn has a familiarity about his
music, yet it’s difficult to pigeonhole him or to compare him to
anyone else out there. He’s not quite as rambling as Dylan, he
doesn’t have the flowing poetry or delivery style of Springsteen,
he’s not as dark as Tom Waits. At this stage in his career, I’d
have to say that Washburn sounds like dozens of other singers in
this same category of music who are fighting for recognition. This
isn’t meant as a slam against Washburn (or anyone else, for that
matter), but it sometimes seems like Washburn is more interested in
presenting himself to people rather than setting himself apart from
the crowd.
Washburn’s true power as a songwriter seems to come mostly in
the faster-tempoed, more contemporary-sounding tracks. “It’s
Alright” is a pleasant enough way to start this disc, while songs
such as “Fool For You” and “Sometimes Trouble” help to deliver
Washburn’s message the best. These work better than the
skiffle-oriented “My Only Friend,” a track which has traces of
Lonnie Donnegan and good-ol’ Western swing in it.
This being said, one of the prettiest tracks on
Stumbling Still Warm… is “Wait (A River Song),” a track
which demonstrates that Washburn can wax eloquent and write a
slower-tempoed, softer-edged song that works well. The lyrics are
pure poetry, while the music helps to carry the listener off into
Washburn’s world. The follow-up track, “She’s A Lullaby,” isn’t
quite as successful, but is still pleasant enough.
If only some of the other tracks had worked as well. “In The
Rain” sometimes sounds like Washburn is having difficulty following
the beat of the song, while others such as “Half My Life” and
“Satellite,” while not failures at all, just don’t convey the same
power and urgency.
For a debut effort,
Stumbling Still Warm… demonstrates that Washburn has what
it takes to make it, and it should be interesting to watch his
progress as a songwriter and a musician.