In a world where modern music has become a masquerade of showmanship, marketing, and over-the-top hype, it’s blessed relief when a true artist and his work surfaces, enticing the emotional aura of purity. For those who seek musical satisfaction tinted with a blend of good-old- fashioned songwriting and performance, treat yourself to a copy of A.J. Croce’s newest release, Cage of Muses.
A follow-up to 2006’s Cantos, Croce’s third Seedling Records release, Cage of Muses, offers a sampling of genuine, foot-tapping compositions, recorded in a live-tracked studio environment. Recorded over the course of three days with top-notch musical companions at his side and a 1968 Neve console designed for Sir George Martin and the Beatles, A.J.’s ten-track collection possesses intimacy and introspection that leaves listeners wanting more. A solid opening track, “Gold and Green” kicks off with catchy lead-guitar lines that sit comfortably stop a medium-tempo groove; Croce’s lyrics are a commentary on pixel-perfect materialism and the current human addiction for gold and green. Delivered in a gentle and breathy, yet convincing vocal manner, Croce’s sincerity is evident in the first lines of the track.
A perfect segue, “You’ve Said Too Much” follows with a richly-fingerpicked guitar introduction on a 1933 Gibson LO, and provides listeners with a taste of A.J.’s live set ambience. “I really wanted to capture what we do live, on a record; that was one of the main ambitions of doing Cage of Muses the way we did it,” said Croce. As added listening pleasure, the album is interspersed with track-connecting samples illustrating the sounds of a Spanish marketplace with a short Flamenco-style guitar motif, and an old-fashioned stride piano theme, further exhibiting Croce’s creativity and taste (as does the fantastic vintage-photo-album cover art). For listeners who yearn for a McCartney-influenced piano and vocal interactive with a Croce twist, “Coraline” more than satisfies the ears; the second verse commits the band to a strong, funky backbeat with a solid pocket and ample space for the vocal melody to translate.
Following in stride, “Bury Me Standing” offers listeners a light, guitar-backed vocal melody with pedal steel swells; Croce’s intimate delivery cannot help but call to mind the ghost of Elliott Smith – a delightfully breathing track. In contrast to the preceding tracks, “I Want It All” is a well-played throwback akin to the likes of Smokey Robinson’s falsetto on The Miracles’ “Ohh, Baby, Baby.” As is his influential reservoir, Croce’s vocal versatility is astounding, not to mention the fact that all lead vocal takes were recorded while simultaneously playing–something that happens far too seldom nowadays in modern recording. One of the many memorable choruses of the batch, “Where Are We Now” features a perfectly-paired harmony that floats effortlessly over the backbone of the rhythm section–it’s nearly impossible to not sing along. Croce brings the album to a close with “I’ve Been Changing”–perhaps an allusive narrative of his musical journey. Just as the album begins by whisking listeners off their feet, it tenderly returns them, this time, with an overwhelming sentiment of warmth and fulfillment.
While it is most definitely not his last effort, Cage of Muses is perhaps A.J. Croce’s finest yet. The combination of top-notch musical performance and emotional integrity is an important facet in relating to listeners, and while many artists cannot translate this marriage effectively, Croce’s ability to do so is more than admirable. Insightful, eclectic, nostalgic and pleasurable on the ears, Cage of Muses is a work that will firmly sign off like the closing of a good letter: Sincerely yours, A.J Croce.
Matt Jaworski–Muzikreviews.com Staff
March 1, 2009
