Review
Jason AndersonThe Hopeful and The Unafraid
2008 | K records
views: 913
"El Paso", the first track off the album, for some reason I can't put my finger on, reminds me of Bruce Springsteen. He's yelling out a story at you, it's energetic, and you feel compelled to keep hanging on through the builds to hear the conclusion. Or maybe it's the touch of Americana, not goofy apple pies and baseball, but dusty highways and lazy, twangy guitars. The title track "The Hopeful and The Unafraid", is really a powerful track that makes it hard not to dance to. Anderson is able to feel inspired by the likes of Van Morrison with his yeah yeah yeah's and horn section blaring back at him on this track, but finds a medium between not sounding like a throwback, and yet not trying to sound just plain old. Continuously on The Hopeful and The Unafraid I find myself surprised by the subtle simplicity of many of the tracks ("Ohio"), and the raw power found just underneath the surface of them.
Occasionally the music takes over, and the vocals seem to melt away into the background only to dive back to the forefront later on. I don't know if this was intentional or not. Sometimes it works, sometimes I wish I could hear him a bit better. "July 4th" tends to carry on in this way with the vocals. Otherwise, it is a solid album from a musician that could use just a little more spotlight. I'd recommend listening to "El Paso", "The Hopeful and The Unafraid", and "The Half of It".
-Elana Rintala
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