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CD Review: Jim Fusco’s “What About Today?” is a Songwriter’s Concept Album

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RATING:  4 / 5 stars

By Chris Moore:

Many who listen to What About Today? may miss the apparent tip of the hat to Nashville Skyline—Bob Dylan’s 1969 album—that is implied on the cover.

This is perhaps not a necessary reference to understand anyway, as Jim Fusco’s progression as an artist is in an entirely different place now than Dylan’s was when he released his first country-rock album. No, Jim Fusco is redefining his own style with this album, moving ahead with increasing complexity and depth, while Dylan was attacked over three decades ago by critics and fans alike who were disappointed by the simplicity of his then-latest release of sappy, romantic songs.
The allusion on the cover may be an indication of Fusco’s personal predilection for songs of this nature. What About Today?, however, is certainly anything but a collection of disappointingly simple love songs.

THE ALBUM

This album has been related to the landmark Brian Wilson masterpiece SMiLE by Fusco himself in the liner notes contained in the enhanced CD section. The most obvious comparison between these two works is in their unified composition, each track blending seamlessly into the next. As Fusco described, the ending chord of every song on his album matches exactly to the initial chord of the subsequent song.

The truth is that this method works well and places What About Today? a notch up from most contemporary rock albums into that somewhat forgotten realm of the concept album. Fusco demonstrates that an album can be more than a random assortment of the newest songs from an artist. Moreover, he has transcended the realm of the strictly chronological concept album—consider his earlier album My Other Half (2002) which follows the progression and breakdown of a relationship.

The one element of this album that cannot be described as more complex than any of his previous ones is notably the vocals. In the past, Fusco relied on vocal harmonies and combinations to define his music, and indeed they have always set him apart in an exceptional way. Honestly, I initially wondered whether this should be considered a downfall, a failure of the new album. After all, he completed the album in such a brief time—three weeks—so could he have rushed past the vocals? Upon many subsequent listenings, I have arrived at the opposite conclusion.

The majority of the background vocals on this album are subtler and more understated than in his earlier work. Yet that is not to say that they are any less well-thought-out or vital to the songs they support. I do not think that the background vocals are as prominent on this album, but I believe the album would be at a profound loss without them. At the risk of seeming like every other critic who has ever written about a particular artist over an extended period of time, Fusco sounds mature on this album. He does not demonstrate a perceived need to impress the audience with his vocal feats. Rather, perhaps for the first time, he is focusing on the unique voice that is Jim Fusco. He is concentrating on his command of delivering his lyrics, singing them with authority. He is also showcasing his abilities and techniques as a lead electric guitarist—a defining sound on this album and a theme suggested by the presence of his shiny red, classically designed guitar on the back page of the CD booklet.
If one could hear the thinly-veiled songs about his girlfriend, his childhood heroes, and his dreams that comprise his 2003 releases and say, “That’s all Jim,” then perhaps one would hear this new album and inquire, “What about Jim?” Which parts are his personal stories and which parts are fictions? Why has his poetic style developed in quite this manner? These issues can be encapsulated in one issue: we knew what he meant when he sang “Mold Me” in 2003, but what is he talking about in 2005 when he sings, “…I molded to you…”?
It is indeed the time that makes this album feel right, the progression of Fusco as an artist—singer and musician alike—that has brought him to the conception and creation of this album.

“I think these are my best songs to date, without a doubt,” Fusco writes in his liner notes. What is more, this is his best album to date.

THE SONGS

It is the electric guitar in “Don’t Be That Way” that first distinguishes itself and kicks the album off with electricity. There is distortion, but it is not distracting or overbearing, as harder music can sometimes be. Yet this is a new sound for Jim Fusco—it is louder, more confident.

“Don’t Be That Way” is the perfect album starter. This song is not a cookie cutter single, nor is it too complex to present at the beginning of an album. It truly sets the tone for the songs to come. Musically, it demonstrates Fusco’s increasingly defined guitar style. Throughout the song, it is as though there is a solo bubbling just beneath the surface waiting to explode—as it does a minute and a half into the song.

And when it does, it has been well worth the wait.

Vocally, this is a prime example of subtle yet effective and even powerful backing vocals supporting the words and sound of the lead. As if to make his point, Fusco ends the song with an extended solo intertwined with a repetition of the chorus.

There is no time to pause and reflect upon this, of course, as the first track is immediately juxtaposed with the interlude. This brief instrumental is repeated throughout the album at various points, as if to remind the listener that the songs on this album exist as one complete entity, as well as individual pieces. The interlude is before the tracks and after them and everywhere within the confines of the album—a reminder of the continuity that is a central theme.

The first track begins with electric guitar, the interlude is marked by the keyboards, and the second track—“Can’t Count On Words”—completes the triangle by beginning with acoustic guitar. In the spirit of the symbolic weight that the acoustic guitar carries, this track has a message to be delivered. Fusco’s is not a message of civil rights or any other such cause; but rather, he is concerned with interpersonal communication.

“Can’t count on words to fill the space between,” he sings. This assertion may be based on the unpredictable nature of interpretation. For instance, “casting of willingness” may be a reference to extending one’s enthusiasm, as in a fishing metaphor, in order to catch a greater good. However, it could also refer to the molding (a theme of Fusco’s work in general) of one’s motivation, one’s personality.

The triangle becomes a square as the third track opens with a bass guitar riff. “Another Backwards Day” chronicles the experience of being awake when everyone else is “down”—whether he means that they are sleeping or depressed is anyone’s guess. A quiet, perhaps subliminal nod to Brian Wilson is apparent in the sentiment of this song’s final verse. He sings of having someone at his side “When day begins long into the night,” ala “Wouldn’t It Be Nice.” This is only a possible meaning, but a fitting one considering his affection for Wilson and his music.

Just when you thought it couldn’t continue, What About Today?’s compositional square becomes a pentagon. Just as track one begins with electric guitar, the interlude with keyboard, track two with acoustic guitar, and track three with bass, so does track four—although it begins with acoustic also—soon present itself as a very vocally harmonic song. His thought for this track is the passing desire to be less intellectual.

“Sometimes I wish I were dumb so I wouldn’t have to think,” he sings. He entertains the concept of hope being a lengthy word to someone and he considers keeping thoughts at bay, “lowering his field of vision.” Interestingly enough, he decides on the title “Sometimes” as a qualification for this desire to be stupid.

“Reason” provides a timely escape from lyrics and vocals and showcases the aforementioned rapidly developing guitar style—it’s not blues, it’s not quite anyone else; it’s Jim Fusco. He has truly taken his music to another level through his devotion to developing his guitar style, a style that brings this album together in a compelling manner.

“She Waits” is the hidden gem, carefully concealed between five tracks on one side and seven on the other. It begins with a tame keyboard that is innocent enough. The ante is upped with some of the more interesting lyrics of the album, words that draw the listener in. One must wonder where the tale of this mysterious “she” will lead. Of course, no one can know until the end that she will only continue to wait—the story we were waiting to hear and perhaps imagining the outcome of does not in fact exist. “She Waits” as a title is not only the beginning of the story, but the end as well.

The middle section is the most enticing aspect of this song. When Fusco sings, “Tell me what it’s like to live in fear so I don’t have to learn on my own,” one cannot be certain if he’s talking to the woman who has been waiting or if it is the woman herself breaking the silence by speaking up. This is also my favorite vocal section of the album, hands down. The buildup to “oh, oh!” is particularly wonderful. Finally, the solo displays some of the best distortion guitar on any Jim Fusco recording to date.

A few more lines and the song is gone, handing the torch to “Where Are We Now?,” a song that I co-wrote with Jim. As has been mentioned in the liner notes, we wrote this song with a simple “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door” effect in mind. We used one too many chords to make it a complete match, but it’s still a jam-worthy tune. Once again, Jim’s guitar is highlighted and he’s given a chance to repeat and expand the solo he created and delivered on the same track on 2004’s Live In The Studio.

And who’s responsible for the awesome harmonica part?…

Another upbeat track follows—“Pack Your Love.” It’s the song that gets stuck in your head. It makes you wonder about lines such as “…hop the bell some more.” It is also the song that gives you the warm and fuzzies from lines like, “If we’re together, anywhere we go, we won’t be far away.” Jack Johnson would agree and might add, “It’s always better when we’re together.” Finally, it leaves you with that intriguing image in mind—one of packing one’s love and leaving to go…where?

Track nine is the harsher “Give and Take,” a song that is notable for one of my favorite images in the Fusco catalog. He sings, “I see the two of you painting signs, but I can’t see what they’re trying not to say!” This is an image of gossip, resentment, and carefully, hurtfully concealed intentions that wound the singer—“Why do they hide when I’ve done nothing to make them scared?”

The anger and energy of “Give and Take” is artfully blended into “What Left To Do?” The latter counteracts the former’s raw emotion with a thoughtful examination of where days go when they are over and how long feelings will remain in effect. The first two choruses leave one wondering whether the singer is hung up on someone or has hung up (as in during a phone call) on someone—a subtle, yet essential distinction. As the middle fades to the chorus, there can be no questioning the intentions of the singer to pursue the girl who has helped him to board his “last ride until the end.” (A note for those who have heard Fusco’s previous work: “Making up words we can’t define” is remarkably analogous to “We’ll make up words that only we know…”)

The keyboards fade and the acoustic guitar signals a transition from asking to telling. Where “What Left To Do?” repeatedly demonstrates uncertainty, “It’s You” suggests confidence with its assertions and certainties. He carefully ties this song back to “Can’t Count On Words” when he sings “…you’ll find it’s not the words that make the song…” This is an instance of the lyrical overlap that is less obvious than the musical congruities and physical blending of the songs. Anyone can edit songs to run together, but uniting their feeling and message is an accomplishment to be noted.

The next track, “Sideshow,” is an interesting exploration of a sideshow as an image. In some ways, Fusco is the burning fire that won’t stop, the “next big thing” that will cause the lines to grow for the show. He has collected his music, recorded it, and arranged it for this album—his sideshow of sorts.

Following another musical interlude, the final track is unleashed. This is a track that could have appeared anywhere else on the album—as the opener, the single, or whatever it needed to be. It is a great way to end this generally upbeat, musically and lyrically strong album. You can become immediately hooked on a song like this, with its crisp guitars and impressively executed vocals. Another alumnus of Live In The Studio, this song is reborn on What About Today? in a manner that demonstrates Fusco’s ability to redefine himself. Probably one of the best songs he’s ever written.

That these notes have barely scratched the surface of the content of Jim Fusco’s latest release should be defense enough for its excellent rating. All my biases aside, it is one of the best albums of the year and deserves to be heard.

7/2005

The Barenaked Ladies’ “Maroon” (2000) – The Weekend Review

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** This is the first in a five part series of music reviews, counting down from the #5 to the #1 albums of the decade, 2000-2009.  On January 2nd, 2010, the #1 album will be revealed, along with the complete Weekend Review picks for the Top Thirty Albums of the Decade. **

By Chris Moore:

RATING: 5/5 stars

Maroon is one of those rare albums that truly has it all.

There are catchy singles, mid-tempo numbers, and ballads.  The subject matter is at times serious, at others sentimental, but always with tongues planted (with various degrees of firmness) in cheek.  Indeed, the songwriting duo of Ed Robertson and Steven Page is at their best — and arguably their most collaborative and exclusive — on this record.

There is a reason Page/Robertson should be remembered as one of rock’s all-time great pairings, and this album is the best support for that argument.

In most circles, it seems as though 1998’s Stunt, with the #1 hit single “One Week,” has been cemented as the essential disc from the Barenaked Ladies’ catalog, and yet that album has always seemed quirky and unique at the expense of true substance.

Maroon is the document of a band at the pinnacle of their success, having refined their work through various members, styles, and phases.

And it is truly one of the best albums of the decade.

The Barenaked Ladies' "Maroon" (2000)

The Barenaked Ladies' "Maroon" (2000)

From the first strums of “Too Little Too Late,” Maroon establishes its sonic landscape with crunchy, catchy electric guitar parts supported by crisp rhythm guitars and typically impressive work from both Jim Creegan on bass and Tyler Stewart on drums.  Whereas multi-instrumentalist Kevin Hearn had helped to redefine BnL’s sound on Stunt, the balance of power shifted somewhere between 1998 and 2000 to find Hearn truly taking a place as a Barenaked Lady, a member of the band rather than a catalyst for change.

And the contributions he makes to the band — his electric solos (take one listen to the end of “Pinch Me”) as well as more unique instrumental parts — make it difficult to return to earlier albums and not distinctly feel his absence.

And in front of it all, Steven Page and Ed Robertson share singing duties on an album that is noteworthy for its vocals alone.  On “Pinch Me,” Robertson and Page manage to recreate the magic of “One Week” in a more fully developed track.  It is easy to view this as an attempt to recapture the runaway success of the aforementioned #1 single (perhaps even more so with the Everything to Everyone lead single “Another Postcard”), but a closer listen will yield a respect for “Pinch Me” as a song that stands on its own.

The first five tracks are an adrenaline rush of catchy, upbeat songs.  Try not to gasp for air attempting to sing all the words.

And this is the type of album that compels one to learn the words, just to feel what it is like to be on the “in,” and to sing the words along with Page and Robertson.

Tracks six and seven take a different direction, slowing down the tempo and becoming very serious.  Still, they manage to be songs that simultaneously demand one’s attention and are entertaining at every turn.

The subsequent songs, “Humor of the Situation” and “Baby Seat,” pick up the pace and inject new life into the album before coming in for a final landing via three increasingly sobering tracks, all to be topped off by the bonus track: the touching, hauntingly beautiful Hearn-penned “Hidden Sun.”

By the time the hidden track has faded out, the listener’s first response must be to crank the volume up on “Too Little Too Late.”  There is a certain psychology attached to the sequencing of this album, which guides one into the depths of the human psyche, passing fears and concerns and regrets and startling revelations before returning to the top to begin the journey all over again.

Any album that can provide this type of experience, incorporate wordplay at all the right moments to suggest — if not prove — the band’s levity amongst all this serious subject matter, and do so all in the form of infectiously catchy and moving songs demands to be respected and recognized in the annals of rock history.

Short of that, it deserves a place on this writer’s top thirty best albums of the decade list.

Slot number five, to be exact.

Released only nine months into the decade, Maroon set the bar quite high for all other new rock music albums to come.

Returning for a listen today only confirms that the bar is still quite high and securely in place.

Super Bowl XLIV Halftime Show: The Who’s Set List

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This is a Weekend Review SPECIAL REPORT!

By Chris Moore:

SET LIST BELOW!!

I can’t believe it’s already been a year since the Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band Halftime Show, an event that inspired such a high degree of anticipation that people were literally placing bets on which songs would be played. There was a certain degree of mystery around what Springsteen would choose to play, and he gave very few clues as to what the set list would look like. Except, of course, that it would be an action-packed twelve minutes.

Well, we are rapidly approaching the Who’s twelve minutes of fame and they are much less concerned with such anticipation.

As Pete Townshend said earlier this week, “We’re doing kind of a compact medley, like a mash-up of stuff,” he says. “A bit of ‘Baba O’Riley,’ a bit of ‘Pinball Wizard,’ a bit of the close of ‘Tommy,’ a bit of ‘Who Are You’ and a bit of ‘Won’t Get Fooled Again.’ It works — it’s quite a saga. A lot of the stuff that we do has that kind of celebratory vibe about it — we’ve always tried to make music that allows the audience to go a bit wild if they want to. Hopefully it will hit the spot.”

And so, with no new album — either recent or upcoming — to promote, a medley it is!

The Who, performing an acoustic set the week before Super Bowl XLIV.

The Who go acoustic three days before Super Bowl XLIV.

There are certainly going to be those who poo-poo at The Who taking the stage before what is annually the largest crowd assembled for one television program. And yet, their age and the percentage of surviving members (50%) notwithstanding, we’re talking about the Who.

In the hierarchy of rock’n’roll, there aren’t too many who get billing above this band. The Beatles, to be certain. The Rolling Stones. Dylan.

Quite impressive company.

As Ray Waddell of the Macon Daly wrote in what is certainly the most interesting of the pre-Super Bowl articles, “The power and continued relevance of Townshend’s writing are obvious, but few could argue that Daltrey’s supercharged vocals don’t play a key role in the longevity of the songs.“

The Who Super Bowl T-Shirt!

The Who Super Bowl T-Shirt!

Even for an avid music fan like myself, the Who have passed beneath my radar save for their greatest hits (I have two of those, actually) and Tommy. The more I’ve been reading about them and listening to them this week, the more I’ve realized what a shame that is. The Who have repeatedly received that label that Dylan oh-so-despises — voice of a generation. They pioneered, albeit not initially on purpose, the so-called “instrument destruction” aspect of some emotional rock concerts. This band was among the first rock bands to incorporate synthesized sounds into their records, which were increasingly more conceptual throughout their career.

The list goes on.

And although by most standards they dropped off the map in the early to mid-eighties, here are Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey to take the stage in front of the largest single audience a band could hope for. Very fitting indeed, as this is, of course, the band that set the record for the largest indoor concert in 1975…

There’s not as much for me to predict, bet, or suggest as there was last year, but I can tell you that, while I am interested in tonight’s excellent match-up between the Colts and the Saints, I am very excited for the Who. Say what you will about their last album Endless Wire — and the critics panned it — but that album had its moments of strength. I can’t imagine that tonight will be anything less than one of those strong high points of their recent career.

I’m off to the Super Bowl party with my girlfriend, so that’s it for now. Stay tuned for the set list, or medley order, or whatever it ends up being… I’ll be updating it here, at guitarbucketlist.com, minute by minute.

THE WHO’s HALFTIME SET LIST

1 ) “Pinball Wizard”

2 ) “Baba O’Riley”

3 ) “Who Are You”

4 ) “See Me, Feel Me”

5 ) “Won’t Get Fooled Again”

REVIEW:

While the Who didn’t quite match the immediacy and the downright sweaty performance by Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band last year, their set evoked a calm and a confidence that, although predictable, was nice to see. After all, this was a mere twelve minutes of playing hits that they’ve been touring with for decades.

In other words, there was nothing unpredictable about the Halftime Show.
I would have settled for just one guitar being smashed.

Or at least a microphone…

The staging was perhaps the most impressive aspect of the set, as the Who opted out of the by-now-typical mass of fans that crowd the field for the mini concert. Instead, their stage was expansive and incorporated a variety of light patterns – spelling out “The Who,” lyrics to songs, and more. With Townshend’s well-known hearing issues, I was surprised, but happy, to see the fireworks display.

And did you see those classic blue, white, and red cymbols on the transparent drum set?

Overall, this was a very entertaining show. Again, it was nothing phenomenal and there will undoubtedly be those who will disparage these sixty-something rockers, but there was never a dull moment. Most songs were — the theme of the night– predictable (Townshend told us, after all, and, come on, how could they avoid playing “Who Are You” on CBS??) but I didn’t see “See Me, Feel Me” coming.

The onside kick that followed the concert overshadowed the set, but it was fun to see the Who and I, for one, hope the Super Bowl continues to call on these classic acts!

Bob Dylan’s “The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan” (1963) – The Weekend Review

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By Chris Moore:

RATING:  5 / 5 stars

As Clinton Heylin points out in Revolution in the Air, his excellent study of Bob Dylan’s songs written between 1957 and 1973, at the time he wrote “Blowin’ in the Wind,” “he was still considered by his contemporaries (and his record label) a performer first and a songwriter a distant second” (78).

With a single studio album, all of that changed.

Perhaps beginning with “Blowin’ in the Wind,” the oldest song he chose to record for his second album, some inexplicable connection had been made between the vast array of traditional folk influences and Dylan’s innate creativity and way with words.  From front to back, The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan plays as a collection of songs with more range than a twenty-two year-old should, in theory, be able to successfully muster.

And yet, here they are.

Forty-seven years later, these songs and their simple live-take arrangements comprised of lead vocal, acoustic guitar, and harmonica — with one exception on “Corrina, Corrina” — are every bit as vital, vibrant, and relevant as they ever were.  The civil rights movement proper may have passed, but institutionalized discrimination has not.  The Vietnam “conflict” may fall strictly under the domain of history textbooks, but my generation has “conflicts” of its own.  And the desire to return to the simpler days of one’s youth, love songs, and, of course, breakup songs all belong in the “timeless” category.

This is what is perhaps most impressive about The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan: namely — particularly following his ho-hum self-titled debut so closely — Dylan’s ability to shift between all of these gears so seamlessly and with such mastery.

Although this is his second album, Dylan’s unique flair for levity clearly debuts on this release.  Certainly, there was potential hinted at in the Bob Dylan original “Talkin’ New York,” but it appears weak in comparison to gems like “Talkin’ World War III Blues” and “I Shall Be Free.”  What is remarkable about these tracks is that they are not merely superficial ditties designed for laughs.  Rather, they are satirical in nature, and stand up in terms of substance to any of the more “serious” tracks like “Blowin’ in the Wind” and “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right.”

Probably the only way this album could have been better is if the controversial “Talkin’ John Birch Society Blues” had been green-lighted by the label.  As it was, the song was pulled — and lost Dylan his slot on the Ed Sullivan Show when he refused to choose a different song to perform — for the lines “We all agree with Hitler’s views / Though he killed six million Jews” (Heylin 70).

Speculation only goes so far, though, as it would have been a shame to have any one track stand out from among the rest on such a well-balanced album, so perhaps it was all for the best.

"The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan" (1963)

"The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan" (1963)

“Blowin’ in the Wind” is an undisputed classic of 1960’s folk and protest music.  Once the Peter, Paul, and Mary cover version hit the radio waves, its fate was sealed: Dylan became the “voice of a generation” in large part due to this song.  As Heylin put it, “Dylan soon began to be pestered by those who thought that anyone asking such questions had answers” (81).

He follows up this opener with “Girl From the North Country,” one of the most bittersweet songs Dylan ever penned.  Although Johnny Cash fans — myself included — might find the Nashville Skyline duet enjoyable, there is no substitute for the original.  And if heartache could be heard, then it would sound precisely like that final note Dylan hits on the harmonica.

As if to remind the listener of his backbone, track three reveals the scathing “Masters of War.”  I hesitate to label it an anti-war song, as Dylan has cautioned reviewers against doing so, rather pointing out that the object of his scorn was the military industrial complex.  Regardless, it is certainly among his harshest compositions, including the line, “And I hope that you die / and your death will come soon… / And I’ll stand over your grave ’til I’m sure that you’re dead.”

“Down the Highway” comes next, a fairly straightforward song of woes and the road, and is followed by the surreal “Bob Dylan’s Blues,” a wonderfully quirky song that manages to reference the Lone Ranger and Tonto, sports cars, and six-shooters in little more than two minutes.

“A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall” is one of the first true lyrical masterpieces penned by Dylan.  Sans instrumentation and vocals, it could just as easily be a winning poem.  Still, it is difficult to imagine this poignant deep track without Dylan’s characteristic vocal driving it.

You may have heard the Peter, Paul, and Mary version of this next track, but this is absolutely a case in which the Dylan recording is superior in both performance and tone.  “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right” was meant to be read as a bitter parting note, and it works best that way.

“Bob Dylan’s Dream” strikes an emotional note, expressing the desire to return to the simpler days of one’s youth.  Somehow, he manages to string together a series of lines and images that are quite relatable without being campy or contrived.

The next track is what can only be described as a topical track, and “Oxford Town” provides a preview of what much of his subsequent album would be like, at least in terms of content.

Following “Talkin’ World War III Blues” comes “Corrina, Corrina,” the only track here to incorporate drums.  This is one of the more simple tracks, but a fun one. “Honey, Just Allow Me One More Chance” is another light-hearted one, sonically if not lyrically, and picks up where “Corrina, Corrina” left off.

Dylan wraps up with “I Shall Be Free,” a perfect blend of commentary and humor that comes across with such great lines as, “I’s out there paintin’ on the old woodshed / When a can a black paint it fell on my head / I went down to scrub and rub / But I had to sit in back of the tub.”

All in all, The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan is the solo acoustic equivalent of a grand slam, hitting on a wide range of topics and moods, expressing for the first time the depth of potential that this young singer/songwriter possessed.  As Heylin’s Revolution in the Air makes perfectly clear, Dylan was still experimenting with his influences here and it could certainly be argued that his work crosses into the realm of appropriation at times, but that has always been an established practice in folk music.  Every line, every melody borrowed from others becomes something different, something contemporary in its new context.

On this, the true debut release of Bob Dylan as a force to be reckoned with, it’s a joy to see his songwriting at work.

And only getting better…