David Newbould
Sin and Redemption
Rock Ridge Music
Note: This album is not yet supported by any new videos except for the title track. The album version of the other links are different on the album.
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| Yes, this is a new cover! |
David Newbould’s
newest album honors its title through vignettes of individuals pushed to the
limits and facing moments of reckoning in which staying put is no longer an
option. The dilemma, of course, is which direction to turn.
Newbould has faced a
few of those decisions himself. He grew up in a Toronto ‘burb he couldn’t wait
to escape. His journey took him to New York City and beyond, though he’s lately
been ensconced in Nashville. The album’s most biographical song is “RunaroundTown,” in which he admits he chose to follow in the footstep of some of his
heroes: Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan, and Neil Young–who respectively fled
Oklahoma, Minnesota, and Ontario. Ironically, the song’s vibe is more Springsteen
than any of the folks mentioned in the lyrics. It’s hard, though, to find a
particular category that contains Newbould. You can find, for instance, a video
of Newbould performing an acoustic version of “Runaround Town” that reminiscent
of Springsteen in his Nebraska days; but the album cut is more like
Bruce with the E Street Band.
Mostly, Newbould is
a storyteller who lets the tale dictate the musical style. “Diamonds in the
Dark” is a swampy blues offering that is short on poetry and long on pain. He
sings Sometimes a man’s got to move before he knows where to go, yet
moments later laments I don’t know where to go. There’s a new version of
“Long Road to Barstow,” which appeared on an earlier album. The previous also evoked
acoustic Springsteen, but the new one is rocked out with its traveling clothes
on. Barstow isn’t necessarily the destination for the story’s antihero whose
life on the hard road is fueled by booze, pills, and tragedy. “Sweet Virginia
Morn” is another in this vein, with its chilling reminder There’s something
that happens when dreams don’t come true. And don’t be fooled by the
singalong feel of “Oh Katy.” Its parenthetical subtitle is “Just Getting’ By”
and it reminds me of an updated version of The Man in the Grey Flannel Suit.
The heavy bass lines alert us that is a dialogue/rant against a life that should
be but isn’t working: Running in circles like the hands of time/O Katy this
ain’t living life/We gotta find something more.
Newbould has a big
voice that he reels in for sensitive material “Love You Too Much (Henry’s Song)”
or the gospel-influenced “Smiling in the Rain.” But if you want to know how much
sound Newbould’s vocals can generate, listen to him rise above the electric
version of the title track. It’s another hair-raising tale, this one of a
sister and brother in a family where the first–as viewed through paternal eyes–could
do no wrong and the second could do no right. The latter is the path to sin and,
eventually, yearning for redemption. My favorite track is “Sensitive Heart,”
about the woman who got away and now looks for love in the arms of another. The
arrangement pulses with the plucked energy of a backing guitar and features
both a memorable melody line and some serious noise. Newbould booms above it.
Rob Weir
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