| REVIEWS |
Rob
Falgiano
Things I Used To Know
(self released)
It is a difficult preconception for any guitar toting musician
to overcome; the label of “singer/songwriting”,
seemingly thrust into mainstream lingo as another term for “poor
sap who sings sad songs about loneliness and woe.” And
like every other convenient generalization, there are those
who expunge these opportune pigeonholing as nothing more than
lazy journalism. It is strange to think that the term has become
synonymous with the John Mayerism of musicians – as if
everyone who plugs away with a guitar is somehow construed as
less than favorable. For the greater majority who are exposed
to the Mayers and Mrazs perhaps this genre of music is nothing
more than passing fancy; light listening suitable for a day’s
drive, but while the music itself on most counts goes far from
challenging, there is still talent abound.
Rob Falgiano could easily be pegged for a “singer/songwriter”
and he makes no effort to disprove otherwise, but unlike some
of his fellow craftsmen he can be labeled by a few other media-friendly
tags as well. He could be called a “folk popster”,
“country-crooner”, “alterna-rockster”
(yes, hideous, I know) and all would suit him just fine. His
latest work, a double-disc offering (the new album Things
I Used to Know and the re-issue of his 2001 collection)
goes quite the way to show that Falgiano is more interested
in making an album of value instead of writing one for the casual
crowd. This does not mean his songs aren’t accessible
either; the swinging nature of “She’s Sweet to Me”
and the falsetto laden “A Mouth Like Yours” would
easily pass as suitable for the dialer. However, what makes
Things I Used to Know far more interesting are the
songs seemingly created for with a fleshier sound in mind. From
the Counting Crowsesque “Orion” to the similar “Honey
I’m Coming”, the songs escape from the notion of
being driven by a singular artist and instead enfold a richer,
full-band sound.
Yet as the progression through his work is made, it becomes
clear that while he is more than capable of writing with certain
quality, he isn’t quite at the point where his songs sparkle.
Perhaps it is the very nature of the genre’s appeal –
to grab the passive listener – that begs songs to be substantially
more engaging (I bite my tongue and say that maybe Falgiano
needs a “hit” song). Plenty of what is offered here
is better than decent (most notably the ghostly melancholic
“Burning Sun”) but none quite glisten with the necessary
flair quite yet.
Reviewed by
Billy Maulana
January 30th, 2004 |
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