Folk music is a tricky thing, the format not particularly beloved of radio programmers and label A&R men. Sure, stars like Jewel or Sheryl Crow might pay lip service to their folk roots, but an honest to goodness new millennium folkie is as estranged from popular music as pro wrestling is from subtlety -- which makes the gradual upward career arc of folk singer/songwriter Brian Gladstone all the more impressive. The Toronto-based musician recorded his first album, One Step Beyond the Dirt, with equipment bought on the cheap at local music stores. Taking the punk rock D.I.Y. ethic to the extreme, Gladstone bought a computer, designed his own promotional materials, and began the chore of marketing himself to both potential listeners and the industry. He achieved a modicum of radio airplay, sold a few CDs, and eventually had that first album -- originally a basement demo -- picked up for European distribution. Gladstone's second album, the excellent and wonderfully eclectic Psychedelic Pholk Psongs, successfully beats the sophomore curse, delivering a wonderful collection of literate and often humorous songs. "Asphalt Cowboy" leads off the album, a delightfully tongue-in-cheek rave-up that sums up the hopes and aspirations of every artist who ever made his or her way to Nashville in search of fame and fortune as a country singer. The song throws away better lines than most Music City songsmiths will pen in a year (such as "It's so hard to get paid/Working at my special trade/I like to sleep all day and then/I listen to CDs"). "Mega City Mel" is a sprightly tale accompanied by a ragtime rhythm, "A Father's Lullaby" Gladstone's lovely and loving ode to his three children. Gladstone is an imaginative and intuitive songwriter and a natural storyteller, unrestrained by conventional limitations. A fair to middling guitar picker, he has a friendly voice and an infectious musical personality. Psychedelic Pholk Psongs is a real breath of fresh air, an honest album by a real musician. You won't find any Pro Tools enhancements or studio polish on Psychedelic Pholk Psongs, Brian Gladstone's music entirely beautiful in its flaws and flawless in its sincerity.
© Rev. Keith A. Gordon /TiVo