TD Lind: Call Me Sinner
TD Lind asks you to Call Me Sinner on album two
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Sunday, 05, Oct 2008 12:57
Tall Tale Records, out October 6th.
In a nutshell.
Eclectic, but ultimately a little unsatisying.
What's it all about?
An album which could loosely be termed Americana, although Lind tries on various styles to see if they fit - with mixed results. Production duties for the majority of the songs are handled by Lind himself, with occasional help from Rupert Hine and Owen Thomas.
Recorded in a barn in Dorset in just four days, Lind keeps the 11 tracks short and punchy for the main part, with only two topping the four minute mark.
Who's it by?
TD Lind is an English singer-songwriter who received largely favourable reviews for his debut album Let's Get lost in 2007.
His pursuit of his craft has seen him playing in a rock n roll band in the UK, jazz piano in Paris and singing the blues in New York.
After eventually basing in Kentucky, he formed a band which supported acts from Ozzy Osbourne to Wilco - which may explain the leapfrogging nature of his albums.
As an example.
"Self improvement makes me sick, it makes my bones itch." - Call Me Sinner
"I just saw rock bottom so I filled my cup." - Rock Bottom
Likelihood of a trip to the Grammys
While Lind is gathering critical acclaim, it is difficult to imagine there would be a mainstream market for his particular brand of songwriting.
What the others say
(for 2007's Let's Get Lost album)
"UK tunesmith TD Lind is the missing link between Damien Rice and Jeff Tweedy." - Uncut
"Classic and beautifully sung." - Mojo
"If he was an activity, it would be Sunday afternoon at the garden centre.2 - Music OMH
So is it any good?
The earnest singer-songwriter with a battered guitar case and a head full of lovelorn songs is something of a saturated market, with any number of melancholic troubadours currently vying for the record-buying public's attention.
So the latest from UK songsmith TD Lind was approached with some trepidation, given that for every LaMontagne there is, unfortunately, a Morrison lingering somewhere nearby.
Indeed, cloying opening number Used To Call Her Trouble brought with it an uneasy feeling that it may well turn up on the soundtrack to the next Richard Curtis movie - which did not bode well.
However, the album reveals itself to be an often enjoyable melting pot of styles with Lind's country, rock 'n' roll and even pop influences all coming to the fore, while the wry humour running through many of the songs keeps it sharp rather than Blunt.
There certainly much to enjoy in Lind's songwriting, from the soaring falsetto chorus of Coming Home, to the rootsy Americana of Rise And Fall and Cold Heart - the latter featuring a tender guest vocal from Lily-May Young.
The whiff of the bar is never faraway throughout, with Boy and Rock Bottom both sounding like they may have been borne of late nights with a few glasses of something strong.
By far the best thing here, though, is Sing To The Moon, a beautifully bruised love letter couched in understated piano and pedal steel guitar - a song that manages to recall the barroom balladry of Gold-era Ryan Adams.
However, the downside of having such a grab bag of styles is that Lind struggles for an identity. While he is clearly able to pen a song, the tone of the album tends to suffer from being so wilfully all over the place.
While the benefits of drawing from a deep pool of influences are obvious, there is a constant sense that Lind's material may be even stronger once he nails his own sound.
Next time maybe...
6/10
Patrick Wells