Every year,
a flurry of newly released albums vie for the attention of eager ears, but very
few of these albums prove worthy of a second listen. Rupert Wates' Coast to Coast: Postcards from America
is an even rarer breed. Coast is
evidence that some albums are so
agreeable, so innocuous, so "OK," that they aren't even worth a second look.
Coast leads with the travel diary tune "On the Road
to Santa Fe,"
which explores the many sights and sounds of the American experience and the
open road. The Southwest-tinged folk-jazz ballad sets the mood for much of the
album, throwing down a smorgasbord of American themes and various quirky
characters. Unfortunately, there are limits to how much excitement bongos and a
softly strummed guitar can provide.
London-born
Wates sings in a rich, pleasing tone, and his story-based songwriting — skilled
and down-tempo from a stint with jazz musician Liz Fletcher — is best as
background music for a social gathering. Sadly, Coast barely escapes the negative connotation of "adult-contemporary."
The mid-album ballad "Dancer in the Rain" is quintessentially charming, but marred
by the generally fatal addition of saxophone. In comparison, closers "The
Fellowship of Love" and "(When I Get Over to) California" gracefully invoke the
smoky warmth of an elegant nightclub and make Coast a worthy addition to any couples' romantic dinner.
Despite
all the beautiful — though often forgettable — moments of Coast, Wates shines when he works with his "postcards from America,"
spitting out the catchy twangs of folk-country and western flavor. Crooning
like a young Warren Zevon, "Goodbye to the Old School" tells the anguished
aftermath of a small-town school shooting. "(The Ballad of) Killer Weed" is
more violent still, spinning an engrossing tale of drug deals gone wrong. The
tune is appropriately reminiscent of the Carter family's "Juke Box Blues" and
recalls Johnny Cash's stories of men gone wrong. Also like the Carters, Wates
explores the Christian culture of country music. "A Friend Called Jesus" is a
jam-filled highlight, rising above the album's filler with jovial guitar and
soulful background vocalists. Finally, the bluesy "I'm the Guy" balances Wates'
trained sound with playful lyrics, satirizing the United States government as "Big
Brother" through the frame of a piano-driven love song.
Rupert
Wates is undoubtedly talented. Coast to
Coast: Postcards from America
proves through its complex storytelling and a classy melodic sensibility.
However, the prettiness that dominates much of the album should have taken second
fiddle to Wates' successful attempts at car-top down, hair-blowing-in-the-wind Americana. Coast will please the listener wary of
change or that youth-corrupting rock 'n' roll, but Wates just doesn't get his
stiff-blazer balladry dirty enough to charm the rest of us.
2 stars out of 5
