An urban folk odyssey that can’t decide what it is
The latest from anti-folk hero Hamell On Trial starts with a one two punch of six minute stories, the first a sermon on the redemptive virtues of rock and roll (“Artist In AmericaÛ), the second, the title track, a parable about how the happiest people are the ones with nothing to lose. The naturalistic production gives the tunes a live-in-a-coffee-shop feel and sets the listener up for a largely acoustic, good humored yet fist-raising trip through a bohemian rock and roll fantasy. Unfortunately, this doesn’t necessarily come to be. The rest of the album is more generously produced, not always for the better; Hamell’s jokey voice undermines the earnest Springsteenianism of songs like “Bobby And The Russians,” and even when the songwriting is more straight-faced, the production sounds like it was stuck in 1999. By and large, Hamell seems like he has something to say and is able to blend humor and a message in songs like “Gods at Odds “ and “Whores,” but its hard to thake them seriously when their right next to schlocky tunes like “Together” and “Mom’s Hot.” The Happiest Man Alive is a sonically solid album, but it’s schizophrenic tone and dated vibe take a bit away from the experience.
RIYL: Country Joe McDonald, Ani DiFranco, Captain Matchbox Whoopee Band
Recommended: 1, 2, 9, 10