Joseph Arthur: Come To Where I'm From

There are so many singer-songwriters floating about these days that you could call it a surplus if so many of them weren't worth hearing. Among the most immediately striking is Joseph Arthur, whose self-described "experimental folk-rock" caught the ear of Peter Gabriel in the mid-'90s. Come To Where I'm From, Arthur's third album, finds him continuing to place traditionally structured songs against try-it-and-see-if-it-works sonic backdrops. The results—expertly produced by Arthur, T. Bone Burnett, and Rick Will—are always interesting and occasionally far more. Come starts off as promisingly as an album can, with "In The Sun" and "Ashes Everywhere," two ballads that grow more compelling and complex as they progress. But "Ashes Everywhere" presents the first sign of trouble, with groan-worthy lines ("I still think about washing your hair / I wish I could wash away all of your despair") foreshadowing the unevenness to come. Arthur's shortcomings as a lyricist make his emotional palette seem as limited as his sonic palette is varied and, however layered the production, his songwriting nearly always follows suit. At his worst, he can make Smog's Bill Callahan seem like a member of The Cowsills, and at times he seems to look to Trent Reznor for lyrical inspiration, with "Creation Or A Stain" serving as a low point. Maybe, as his unpredictable onstage behavior might suggest, Arthur can't help it, but when he sings his way out of self-laceration, as on the gorgeous album-closer "Speed Of Light," he's as memorable as any singer-songwriter working today. When the songs catch up with the sounds, he'll be even better.