So, if like me, you’ve passed the above image accompanied by rave reviews pasted on walls and wondered ‘Who the heck is Joshua Radin?’ it might be worth your while to read on…
I have to hold my hand up and admit to oftentimes buying albums simply based on their cover art so, when I spotted Radin’s poster and LOVED it, I was determined to not give in and make sure I listened to at least one track before racing to the record store. I failed miserably but, in my defence, I wouldn’t have had I not spotted the track You’ve Got Growing Up To Do featuring one Patty Griffin (I’m a HUGE Patty fan) . There’s very little else almost guaranteed to cause such a knee-jerk purchase and before I knew it I was walking out of the store, c.d. in hand.
To get on with the actual review though, Simple Times opens beautifully with One of Those Days and never falters throughout. Listening you get that almost-palpable sensation of driving the open road, windows down, hair whipping out around you, as the scenery rushes by. There’s a momentum to his guitar-playing, hypnotic but never forceful, and the whole c.d. washes over you like a breaking wave.
Radin is softly-spoken but his voice has just enough edge so as to avoid being lumped in with the James Blunt set, and when his is accompanied by a supporting vocal, they compliment each other perfectly. The juxtaposition of his husky tones on top of the sweet, clarity of the guest vocalists’ works wonderfully.
Lyrically Radin is direct but never obvious. There’s nothing superfluous or flowery about the words he’s singing, everything just fits.
If you want a point of reference for what Simple Times sounds like, think Bright Eyes with a little Jack Johnson’s Sleep Through The Static thrown in. There’s also a hint of Paul Simon’s Graceland on We Are Okay, and some country flourishes to several tracks.
He’s already gotten bucket-loads of critics raving and I definitely recommend him so what other excuse do you need? Get yourself to a record store pronto!
…oh, and you can follow him on Twitter http://twitter.com/joshuaradin
