You might be skeptical about Bill Price before you hear his music, but With the Eye of a Skeptic and a Few Other Likely Stories will leave you sure about his talent, not only with music but with songwriting, timing, and vocals.
It's easy to compare a folk album to a Bob Dylan one, but even though Price at times sounds a little like the folk legend, he deserves better than a simple comparison. His songs tell stories in a smart, witty, wordy way – like Jason Mraz without the fluff. Price surely is the master of wordplay.
While the music on With the Eye of a Skeptic is great, (it's classic folk filler with a healthy twang), the lyrics are the main point, and the album's real treasure. On “Skeptic's Lullaby”, Price sings, “People's lives they are unraveling – relationships bizarre/now men they drink their madness and curse their jezebel/while the women bathe in sadness – tell themselves it's just as well”. The entire album is full of such lyrics, without an obvious rhyme or pointless word thrown in to fluff anything up.
References to history, popular culture, and other artists are everywhere. Even songs without obvious references are smart and modern. On “Blue Period Blues”, Price gets funky and sings with style, “She inspired every stroke but bohemians go broke/so he painted in the dark/but he painted from the heart/but all she would ever say is, 'Do you call that art?'”
With the Eye of a Skeptic is definitely art. Its modern folk with a twang and a groove that will leave you feeling like you got your time and money's worth.
Key Tracks: Blue Period Blues, Election Day, Last Word
June 15, 2010
