+1/2 -- Wordy, soulful, funky singer-songwriter rock and R&B
hyperbolium | Earth, USA | 12/03/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Arnold is a singer-songwriter whose Tom Waits' growl and Randy Newman's sing-song is wrapped in the punchy rock/R&B of Graham Parker and Boz Scaggs and the West Coast vibe of Warren Zevon and Jackson Browne. His funky electric piano, literate lyrics and wordy rhymes would make superb club fair: thoughtful for listening, soulful for dancing, and dramatic for performance.
His original songs are sun-spotted blues, with protagonists who ponder the brighter sides of sour circumstance. The opening "Suckin' Honey" looks outward from a resolutely bad stretch, culminating in the pragmatic chorus, "The world keeps turnin' and the sun keeps burnin' strong." You can feel the singer gaining balance and strength as he shucks off bad luck, and the chugging blue-pop melody, anchored by Arnold's piano and an electric slide guitar, reflects the mood. The first-person narrative of a displaced Katrina survivor, "NOLA," is pained in its loss but optimistic in outlook, and the karmic payback of "Eggs" creates plenty of room for self improvement.
The album's title track is also its most straight-ahead blues, yet even it manages to dig its way out by intertwining memories of tough times with an inventory of one's blessings. Arnold routinely sees each glass as both half-full and half-empty, balancing himself between fatalism and self-determination as he sings "Life is just one long day / you get up and you make your way / go to sleep, you might never wake / That's just the breaks / the give and take" on the mid-tempo "Sundown."
Even the poetic and abstract "Timeless" yields to Arnold's 360-degree examination, touching cause-and-effect, spiritual origin, individual initiative and a lack of permanence. He suggests that you might make a mark; just don't expect it to be around forever. Most impressive is how such philosophical thoughts are made uplifting by Arnold's soulful voice and music that organically draws upon soul, R&B, rock, folk, jazz and gospel. 4-1/2 stars, if allowed fractional ratings. [©2007 hyperbolium dot com]"
Track Listings (12) - Disc #1