Jose Gonzalez: In Our Nature
Thursday, 20 Sep 2007 00:01
Jose Gonzalez's In Our Nature is out on September 24th
Mute/Peacefrog Records, out September 24th.
In a nutshell
Gentle, melodic, simple, earnest, sameish.
What’s it all about?
The sophomore album from Swedish singer and songwriter Jose Gonzalez, In Our Nature, continues where debut release Veneer left off, with ten songs combining soft vocals with plaintive melodies courtesy of the classical guitar.
Who's it by
Gonzalez caught the popular gaze when a single from Veneer, Heartbeats - an acoustic cover of a song by fellow Swedes The Knife - was used in an advert for Sony. On the song's success, he commented: "There could never be another commercial with one of my songs that would ever have the same impact."
He cites fellow finger-picking whiz Silvio Rodriguez as his biggest musical influence.
Intriguingly, his first foray into making music was in the punk genre as a 15-year-old forming a band with school friends.
The clever lad has something to fall back on too, in the form of a PhD in viral DNA replication.
As an example
"I see problems down the line / I know that they’re mine / Don't let the doctor seek you out" - Down the Line
"Folks are lined up waiting; the trick is not to move / Showing off their jewellery / Humiliation will be on you" - Time to Send Someone Away
"All this time you were chasing dreams / without knowing what you wanted them to be / So how's it gonna be when it all comes down to cycling trivialities?" - Cycling Trivialities
Likelihood of a trip to the Grammys
A bit too left field. There is a Folk category but it is a safe bet Gonzalez won't be preparing an acceptance speech.
What the others say
"Magical…a supreme talent" - The Guardian
"Spine-tingling" - Sunday Times
"Armed with just a dextrously plucked Spanish guitar and his own warm but clipped vocals he paints intimate portraits that sound like classics from a golden singer/songwriting yesteryear" - BBC
So is it any good?
Gonzalez stuck gold with Heartbeats, a multi-layered back-of-neck-hair-raiser that merits many listens. However, the success of the song has been a mixed blessing. Undoubtedly, Heartbeats will continue to reap royalties for some time to come, but the other side of its legacy is a burden of expectation to reach perhaps unassailable heights.
Gonzalez has not changed his sound. He had a formula that worked and he has stuck with it. But this strategy is not, whatever he or his record label may think, a safe one. The jury was still out after his first record. He had to prove he was more than a one-trick pony, no matter how well he can perform in familiar terrain.
How Low, the opening song, engenders hope; its slightly gruffer vocals and soaring climax are nicely complemented by Gonzalez' trademark finger-picking skills.
Down the Line, which will be the first single, cements the strong start. A compelling hook in the chorus and a fast-paced melody keep things interesting despite the slightly repetitive lyrics.
However, repetitiveness is, rather aptly, a theme across the album. Killing for Love has weak and uninspired lyrics, while the title track is lugubrious to the point of tedium.
Gonzalez has a distinctive voice, but his soft, slightly tremulous, vocals grate after a while.
At his best, he sounds like Don McLean. On Teardrop, the simple backing works beautifully and Cycling Trivialities ends the album on a high - this is Gonzalez moving out of his comfort zone and really making his voice ache with emotion rather than vainly hoping that the lyrics and backing will do the work for him.
However, it has to be said: most of the songs sound like pale imitations of you-know-what.
In an interview, Gonzalez set out his stall: "As long as you tell people what you are doing, I think they won't resent it because they know what they are getting. But on the other hand, I know you are not entirely free to do what you want. If I went into a different genre, it would be under another name, or a band name, so that they know what they are getting. The Jose Gonzalez brand is guitar and vocals and that's that. You think it is pessimistic?"
Well yes, mate, I rather do.
5/10
Meg Graham
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