Indie pop of the highest order - Joseph Arthur doesn t fit in a box. He has his own, changing constantly, freeing himself all over again. Some call him a singer songwriter, some indie, others plain artist (he often does his own cover and booklet art). Whatever you decide to call him, he is an extremely talented musician. Beautiful melodies, haunting lyrics. Rest assured, once you ve opened up to his music it doesn t let go. I bought his first album Big City Secrets back in 1996 and have been a fan since. Every new album is a surprise (thank God he found a record company who allows him the freedom). What is he doing this time, what has he come up with, who is he working with? On this album amongst others: T Bone Burnett, Jim Keltner, Ben Findley. Twelve great songs by Joseph Arthur.And if you have the chance to see him live, take it. Just don t expect to hear the songs the way they are on the album. Joseph will most definitely surprise you once again. A true musician with all his heart and every cell in his body.
GOING TO WHERE HE IS FROM - If you are trying to decide on which CD to purchase...this is a fantastic choice. The first song In the Sun starts you on a journey inside and keeps you there. JA goes deep into his thoughts and if you like that sort of thing, you ll love this CD.
Best Album from One of the Best Singer-Songwriters Around - This is my favorite joseph Arthur CD. Maybe its because it is the first I owned - but I like all of his CD s and you can t go wrong with any of them.This is the kind of album you can listen to many times and gradually, overtime, you will find more things to like about it. It grows on you with different songs emerging gradually - giving it tremendous depth and long, satisfying, listen-ability. Stylistically he is so diverse that there will surely be something for everyone of this album.
Very good early album - This is the latest cd of his that I have bought since becoming a fan. It is very good, although I can t say I find it more enjoyable than his newer ones. But it s still pretty adicting. There is a good mixture of different types of music in here but it s not as extreme as redemptions son. HIs voice is more rough and grough sounding here also than on any other cd, but most of the time is sounds very good. In my opinion the first song in the sun makes this cd worth the price of admission alone, it s definitly a classic. But anyways, rather than rank each song one by one I would rather say that I pretty much can split these songs up into three categories. Fun/pop, slow/dark/seious, and signature Joe Arthur sound (being mostly him and his guitar singing about previous relationships that usually make for his most popular songs. Here is how I split them up:Fun pop songs) Chemical, history, cockroach, exhausted and tattoo.Slow/dark/serious) Invisible hands, eyes on my back, and The real you.Signature Joseph) In the sun, ashes everywhere and speed of light*Creation or a stain is in a class all it s own where he sort of raps, or sings fast. Think of subturanean homesick blues updated.Well know you know what to expect at least, it s an enjpyable album, but doesn t stick with you like others. At least it didn t with me.
A Soundtrack More or Less... - The songs on this album were the first I heard of Joseph Arthur and I was immediately mesmerized. A few were on the soundtrack for Hell s Kitchen with Angelina Jolie and Rosanna Arquette and when I heard them I had to know who it was. Joseph Arthur is haunting, for lack of better words. I ve noticed lately, he s going a little more mainstream, which is slightly disappointing. But I think he s incredibly talented and I would definitely recommend this album.