REVIEW: Rees Shad, Little Brown Book (Sweetfish)
- Wes Long
If it were possible to clone a musician from bits and pieces of genetic information obtained from various sources, I'd likely point to artists like Freedy Johnston, Peter Case, Graham Parker, Lyle Lovett and James McMurtry as possible donors for the lab creation known as Rees Shad. Okay...that's a scientific impossibility, so let's just say that Shad was influenced by singer-songwriters of that ilk, and that he's as good as any of 'em.
On his third release, following the much acclaimed Anderson, Ohio and The Riggley Road Stories, Rees continues to pack plenty of oomph into his compelling and obviously heartfelt song stories. Shad shifts points of view from third person to first on this outing, culling songs originally penned with the intention of being covered by other musicians from his Little Brown Book. Used as a diary during her college years, Rees' late adoptive mother gave the book to her son knowing he'd keep his lyrics in it. "Its first few pages are packed tightly with her neat cursive descriptions of Massachusetts from t he point of view of a small town Arkansas girl," says Shad. "Some time into her diary she met my father and the notes tapered off only to be followed by the scribblings of their adopted son years later." This personal diary is befitting of the introspective and honestly insightful lyrics that unconsciously doubled as Shad's diary entries.
The title of the CD is not only the introduction to Rees' compelling song cycle, but also the strongest track. "Would you read these lyrics, tell me what you think," Shad asks, "are they worth the wood that they're on, are they worth their ink, they're in a crazy pen style, there's probably a spelling mistake, but this is about how I feel, expression is a chance I take." The remainder of the song foreshadows the nine to follow. "This is a love song for you," he sings regarding the eternally buoyant "Star," a song about the loving wife around whom planet Shad revolves. "This one protests a gun" refers to his "All Fall Down" which is a "little adventure into the mind of a man more in love with his gun than his humanity," held together with a Reckoning era REM-ish guitar riff. From the haunting "Man Of The Sea" to the happy-go-lucky gospel inflected, yet never preachy, "Everybody Knows," Rees' proves himself an exquisite lyricist and a master of mood.
These infectious songs are bound neatly within the cover of Shad's Little Brown Book, reprised as the final track in slight return fashion. Combining the tastier elements of folk with all the hooks and urgency of pop and rock, Rees Shad invites us to partake in his ultra-heady collection of engaging material. "Here in my Little Brown Book, please won't you take a look," Rees urges, as do I.
