Dr Richard Michelson (stage name: MOTU which stands for Music Of The Universe), is back with his 25th album, but I am pretty sure it is only the second one I have come across, the other being ‘According to the Apocalypse’ a few years back. Yet again multi-instrumentalist Michelson plays a wide range of instruments which includes keyboards, harmonica, acoustic & electric guitars, bass, pedal steel guitar, and dobro. Dee Michelson (vocals), Ed Modzel (drums) and Rich Fry (vocals and guitar) have returned and they have been joined by newcomers Susan Karejwa (bass), and Phil Reinstein (accordion) along with a few guests here and there.
I confess I was not a huge fan of the last album I heard, and much of what I thought about the last one is repeated here. It is nice to have a real drummer, but to be honest, Ed provides little which could not have been programmed, and if I hadn’t seen his name, I would have assumed Michelson provided them as well. While the lyrics are often interesting, the production and arrangements make me think of a bar band in the Seventies as opposed to an outfit which has released far more albums than the norm. His voice is that of someone who has seen the world, and provides gravitas and emotion to the lyrics, while the music takes classic Seventies rock and Americana and brings them together with a result which is somewhat familiar, yet also just misses the mark. As with the other album I heard, I am pleased I listened to it but doubt I will ever play it again.
Rating: 6/10
Links:
https://www.motu.net/