Cruel Words
Label: Bongo Beat
Length: LP
Media: CD
Format: Album
WorkNameSort: Cruel Words
The cracked and emotionally (mentally?) fragile music made by Johnny Dowd has made him a favorite among those who like their music raw and slightly unhinged. In a world where authenticity is supposedly prized, it’s interesting that a singer/songwriter like Dowd is not better-known in his own country; as usual, American originals tend to find the best reception in Europe. Cruel Words ‘ his sixth, and perhaps finest, album ‘ lays bare that paradox with a collection of some of the most honest music you’re likely to hear this year. Dowd’s grittily evocative lyrics, in an absolutely unmodulated singing voice, are the first thing to pop out of the disc. But the 14 songs also gain strength from his band: Mike Stark on keyboards and Brian Wilson on drums and bass pedals. (No, not that one … but he probably wouldn’t have felt out of place at these sessions.) The taut minimalism the trio creates is haunting and serves to emphasize the highly individual and slightly weird way in which Dowd approaches his songs. Though a couple of Mekons show up to lend some help on ‘Drunk,â?� Dowd is a man who needs no assistance. He’s a singular artist in a world of genre conformists.
This article appears in Jul 5-11, 2006.