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Wolfe at the Door: Random Thoughts
If nothing else, Wolfe at the Doors debut
release Random Thoughts should succeed in one thing making even the
most jaded, snobbish veteran record critic admit (perhaps grudgingly) that they
smiled at least once while listening to it.
The adjective inoffensive would probably appear somewhere in any
review of this record, yet there is nothing the least bit daring or challenging
or adventurous anywhere on it it is Sunday morning, easy-listening, appease
the folks/grandfolks music. However,
the sheer earnestness of Sharon Wolfes vocals and the virtuosic crispness of
Tony Novarros multi-instrumentation is enough to enjoy the record despite its
folky pop-rock/Jewel leanings. Novarro plays virtually every instrument on the
album, primarily relying on acoustic guitar and mandolin but also adding touches
of electric guitar, keyboards, and bass. His simple melodies are a bedroom pickers dream, and
repeated listens engrain them in your mind and might even cause you to close
your eyes, bop your head, and sway to the music.
However, one cannot help feeling a little bit guilty for enjoying
something like this too much, especially given the lyrics, which are just too
average and mundane not quite trite but just tired. All of the old New Age-y clichs are brought out; for
example, rain is used as a metaphor for loneliness and confusion in a broken
relationship not once but twice (Here Comes the Rain, Lost in the
Rain), and the subject material for almost every song is drawn squarely from
either the love song or the broken heart song categories.
Wolfes voice is perfectly fine, though it does
not reach the dynamic range or level of other somewhat similar female folk
singers such as Julie Murphy Wells or the Nields sisters. Novarros production work is excellent, though all
instruments blend perfectly, with the acoustic guitars in particular, to produce
a crisp and clean sound. However,
the album also suffers from a lack of variety, as only towards the end does it
break away from folk sing-along mode with the piano-tinged jazz number Astor
Place and the blues-based Morpheus Rising.
These departures are among the better songs on the disc you wish that
they had made more such creative stretches.
Despite these shortcomings, Random Thoughts
melodies and earnestness will win over most listeners.
It might be labeled inoffensive, but somewhere deep inside, a part
of you will be sweetly singing along.
This album can be purchased at CD Street Wolfe at the Door Official Website About LOTD Contact/Staff Advertise Home All content © LEFT OFF THE DIAL 2001-2005. All rights reserved. |
