Search - Johnny Dowd :: Pawnbroker's Wife

Worth hearing, but Dowd's weakest by far.

G. Moses | Men...Of...The...Sea! | 01/21/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Perhaps it's true that almost anything would have been a disappointment after the superlative Temporary Shelter, but the fact remains that Johnny Dowd's fourth album, The Pawnbroker's Wife, isn't a patch on either of his previous three. First, it should be noted that there's nothing here that is viscerally exciting in the way that songs like 'God Created Woman' and 'Vengeance is Mine' are. The closest it comes is 'Monkey Run.' Although it's a great song--a very dark take on the 'waiting for the weekend' theme; one can't help but think that the "five days of darkness/just two days of Sun" refrain is applicable in the lives of far too many people--it's not quite the same sort of thing. Also, the album has a certain unfortunate proclivity for kind of silly novelty: 'On Shakey Ground We Stand' is 'Death Comes Knocking' from Temporary Shelter, only faster and with Dowd sharing the vocal duties with Sherwood-Caso. It's cute in a way, but it's just not the way the song was meant to be done, and the point seems rather to be lost. Imagine 'Yesterday' done as a polka for a similarly incongruous production. The much-vaunted cover of 'Jingle Bells' isn't much either; even taking into account the fact that there's probably only so much a band could really *do* with this song, it seems surprisingly lackluster to me. And 'Sweeter than Honey' is just bad, period.However, there is some good music here. 'Judgment Day,' for instance, a welcome anti-capital punishment hymn. "God gave her life, the mighty state of Texas took it away," Dowd snarls, and, later, "she won't be the only one facing God on Judgment Day." Ya hear that, W? Far from subtle, but it gets the job done. 'Billy Blu' is a creepy little number in which the title character's identity remains ambiguous--a harmless eccentric? A dangerous madman? Ol' Scratch himself? It's a great song, probably the best thing here. Or maybe that's 'True Love,' a nice little murder ballad as narrated by the victim. Okay, so it might actually be 'Virginia Beach.' The other reviewer characterizes it as "ruefully eligiac," which I think is dead-on. Overall, though, I would have to say that, while pleasant enough, most of the music here lacks the kick of Dowd's best work. By all means, pick the CD up if you're a fan, but don't expect to be blown away. Still, one point does not indicate a trend. I expect that Dowd will be back in form next time around. Count on it, yo."