| Dipping into the realm of singer songwriters a lot lately, I found myself staring at Aaron Ross'
most recent album, "Shapeshifter." Alex, being a member of Grass Roots records, I had a feeling of
what I was getting into but there are always surprises. Some of the most influential music comes
from the solo artist and while this album was sure to be a heavy folk album, I was hoping it would
be able to keep me entertained for a bit.
Starting off, most of the album is extremely raw and scrambled. It is almost like he brought some
of his friends over who don't know how to play instruments and had them jangle around with a bunch
of different instruments as he provides some sustainable acoustics. It feels like a playground of
music where people come to play and shape new music, which is interesting but it's so scattered
sometimes.
Aaron's vocals are at a constant high pitch while he sings, which gets silly in some parts as he
sounds like he might be on American Idol trying so hard to get that next octave. On the other end,
his voice is rememberable because it is a rather awkward tone of singing. The lyrics on the other
hand are relative and filled with quirky tales. "Shapeshifter" also has some very long songs in
its arsenal as no songs are under 5 minutes and some pass the 8 1/2 mark, which allows for honest
progression for each and every song.
Production is everything, but some times it is the lack of it that makes an album pretty good.
Aaron has provided us with a raw and untamed look into storytelling. Every song has a laundry list
of differentiating styles that cycle and progress as the album goes on. So while it is wild, it
also has moments of aligned composition. So if you are fans of a Billy Corgan voiced singer
songwriter that has some interesting tales to tell through busy acoustics then this is for you.
~ Pernell
September 30 2007 |
