Album Review: Craft – Paul Sikes
11 years ago Liv Carter Comments Off on Album Review: Craft – Paul Sikes
Craft – Paul Sikes
One of the great things about country music these days is the variety in sounds that fall under the umbrella of “country.” You’ve got the sugary country pop of Sugarland, Jamey Johnson’s neo-classic take on the genre, the more country-meets-rock sound of Keith Urban, and even the alt. country/folk leanings of artists like Ryan Bingham and Hayes Carll. Paul Sikes is carving out his own territory in the genre with a more jazz/folk/pop influenced sound that offers a fresh take on country music, and his aptly titled album Craft showcases this in spades.
For one, the songwriting is stellar. From the opening notes of the bluesy ‘Show You Love’ to the final harmonies on the album’s bonus track, ‘My Home, Tennessee,’ Sikes and his various co-writers don’t let any weak lines, misplaced chords, or bad melodies through. Every track on the album offers either a though provoking lyric, a fresh take on a shopworn topic, a fantastic melody, or all of the above. And it is consistent, with each song sounding as if it were written to be the album’s standout.
‘Dysfunction’ is about a relationship that’s doomed from the start, but the participants keep it together for all the reasons society says we should. Because even though we barely know each other, you’re pregnant. Because there are kids involved. Because, hey, why not? The swampy stomp of the drums gives this track a very different and cool sound especially when paired with the acoustic instruments on it, and the hook line ‘That’s how Dysfunction, functions’ really drives the point home in a clever way.
‘Tin Man’ is another standout track. Narrated by a man hurt by love and unwilling to take the chance on someone new, the song details his excuses, the final one ultimately being that he has no heart left to give, hence the tin man reference.
Sikes brings a bit of humor and lightheartedness into the mix with the jazzy ‘Me, You, & Malibu,’ and the quick-stepping, ‘Train Wreck.’ Fluffy topics aside, they’re hardly filler when placed next to the album’s more serious fare, but are, nonetheless, a great siesta from said serious tracks.
The album’s single, ‘The Seed’ is an inspirational tale of how a tree, used for everything from frames for people’s beloved pictures to Babe Ruth’s baseball bat, was able to accomplish great things, but started as only a seed. One of the most moving tracks on the album, it takes a topic that could easily be cringe-worthy and shows how, in the hands of a capable artist and songwriter, it can be made into something truly beautiful and compelling.
The only aspect of the album that I didn’t like was that Sikes’ delivery changed depending on the genre of the song. It’s a bit funny to hear him singing with an exaggerated twang on the more countrified songs when just a track or two earlier, there was no trace of it. I understand that country artists of all stripes do it, or feel the need to (even Blake Shelton’s guilty of it), but I found it a bit distracting. Sikes’ airy laid-back delivery is unique and I think the instrumentation of each song stands well enough on its own that he doesn’t need to use such devices to get the point across that, “hey, this is country,” especially when some of it is more country than most songs on the radio right now.
In all, Craft is a fantastic record from pretty much any musical standpoint you can look at it. The writing, performances, the production, the arranging, it’s all top notch. It’s also a nice antidote to all the dumbed-down country that’s out there right now. Paul Sikes has made one of the best “thinking man’s” country albums that’s still fun to listen to.
For more on Paul, please visit www.paulsikes.com
Liv Carter
She holds several certificates from Berklee College of Music, and a certificate in Positive Psychology from UC Berkeley.
Her main influences are coffee, cats, and Alexander Hamilton.
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