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Richard Shindell – Vuelta
It may seem a long time to wait, but the four and a half years between this new release and his last studio album ‘Somewhere Near Paterson’ have seen Richard relocate to Buenos Aires and write, record and perfect the songs on ‘Vuelta’. It’s appropriate title too, (def. turn, reconsideration, homecoming) as while the players include Lincoln Shleifer, Lucy Kaplansky, Tracy Grammer and Dennis McDermott, the majority of the backing is provided by Richard and ‘Puente Celeste’ an excellent group of Argentinean musicians - this shift in personnel has brought subtle but significant changes to the sound that make this disc stand out.
Rather than being flamboyant or obviously South American, the backing is much more subtle, it’s more detailed, controlled and confident than almost every other singer/songwriter album around. It’s predominantly an acoustic disc, but one that sounds fresh and full of variety, texture and depth; it’s certainly not a challenging listen, but the deeper you delve the more the arrangements have to offer.
What hasn’t changed though is the quality of his writing, the 10 tracks (46 mins) contain some of the finest songwriting you could wish to hear, and every track is both lyrically and musically memorable.
Despite the consistency throughout, the disc is dominated by two songs; the tale of a Miami bound South American stowaway is played out in the excellent ‘Che Guevara T-Shirt’, and ‘The Last Fare of the Day’ is an atmospheric song relaying a taxi-drivers experience – it’s a stunning piece of writing that is beautifully arranged and performed. Other highlights include ‘Hazel’s House’ which has a sweet melody and guitar line that make it instantly likeable, and ‘Waist Deep in the Big Muddy’, the albums only cover, is an epic song in the ‘Cold Missouri Waters’ mould.
On the evidence of ‘Vuelta’ the move to Argentina has influenced Richard’s work in a positive way – his songs are as strong, if not stronger than they’ve ever been, but the arrangements and instrumental changes have added an extra dimension; it’s not wildly different to ‘Paterson’ but it certainly feels a little more low-key and relaxed, as well as being more instrumentally rich and subtle.
Overall ‘Vuelta’ is an album of the very highest quality – the writing and arrangements are stunning, and the overall feel sets it apart from the output of most North American singer/songwriters. Highly recommended.
SHINDELL RICHARD - VUELTA
Shindell Richard
CD (Cat No: 12910)
SHINDELL RICHARD - VUELTA
