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Review: Joshua James' `The Sun Is Always Brighter`

curlio

2008-05-06 19:04:50

With his voice practically a whisper at times on "The Sun is Always Brighter," Joshua James compels you to listen to his words. If you're looking for happy perky music, this might not be for you. His lyrics frequently are not happy little tidbits, but contain grim words such as the song "Tell My Pa" with the line "The cocaine wore a hole inside My bitter soul, my foolish pride." There's an honesty in his words that is at times brutal but it all seems to be okay when you're singing it in such a sweet voice.

Listening to the words and music, one would think that Joshua has been writing and playing all his life. However according to his biography he picked up a guitar for the first time just a few short years ago after spending some time in South America.

I've always hated the "he sounds like..." comparisons, because I think that most artists sound unique anyhow. But as most people need a frame of reference I'll mention that he reminds me a bit of John Mayer. Dusty pointed out as well that he sounds like Jason Castro (who many regulars to our American Idol topics know as one of my favorites) and I agree with that as well. If you like the kind of music Jason does, sitting on the stage with a guitar you'll probably like Joshua.

1.	The New Love Song
	A very catchy song, one that will no doubt be going into permanent rotation on my "cleaning music" playlist. Everyone knows you need music to get you moving when you're cleaning - right? Well if this song doesn't have you bobbing along, then something's wrong with your neck.
2.	Soul & The Sea
	I can imagine hearing this song on country radio. It has such a quiet sadness to it.
3.	Geese
	Not one of my favorites on the album. He sounds a little too down for me on this one.
4.	FM Radio
	A bit repetitive in the lyrics, but the song is good enough to carry it.
5.	Today
	Decent song that will again have you bobbing along.
6.	Lord, Devil & Him
	The song soothes, even if the subject matter is bleak.
7.	Dangerous
	A very slow and sad sounding song.
8.	Abbie Martin
	Again a bit repetitive, but the song is contagious. Oddly enough it sounds Italian to me. I know, I can't explain it either, I just go with the feelings.
9.	Tell My Pa
	This song deals with the struggles his brothers have faced with substance abuse. As such it's deeply personal and quite moving to listen to
10.	Our Brother's Blood
	One of the best tracks on the album. This song is a commentary on the war in Iraq, and it features Joshua's no-holds-barred lyrics and his voice to its best capacity. A goosebumpy song if there ever was one.
11.	Commodore
	According to the bio, this song is "a snapshot of the Holocaust from a child’s point of view." Despite the grim subject matter, it's a good song.

If you want to check out Joshua's music, you can listen to some of the songs on his website. It's also available on iTunes, where the album was #1 on the singer/songwriter chart. As you can tell from my comments, his music is bleak but he has such a soothing voice that eases the occasional pain of his words. The overall sound is one that you could put on during a dinner party, or simply while relaxing - while his words provoke thought.

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