Joshua James - From the Top of Willamette Mountain

Progress

At the end of October I reviewed James’ 2009 album Build Me This which had a current free noisetrade download offer, re-introducing his work to the public. It was a ‘reserved’ review, largely affected by what I felt was the wispy vocal and songs that couldn’t sustain the strength of album opener Coal War. I also had an instinct that this album and that song suggested the promise of a stronger musician.

Joshua James’ latest From the Top of Willamette Mountain delivers that promise with a mature and melodic development. The maturity is, for me, in the vocal where what I identified before as similar to Ray LaMontagne [at James’ rougher best] is sustained across the whole album. Not a wisp within hearing distance. This does matter and provides the vocal depth the tunes and lyrics deserve. There is also more expansiveness in the overall production provided by Richard Swift that includes some lush harmonies, not dissimilar to his own work as a recording artist.

First track Mystic is a good example where a simple but effective song gains resonance through a rousing chorus, especially as it rises out of the slow deliberation of the song’s main melody. Second Queen of the City provides a quick contrast with its rockier rhythms and some tight harmonising on the main vocal. Fourth Doctor, Oh Doctor, although layered with echoing guitar, has James’ vocal to the fore in folk mode, narrating as a main focus. Fifth So Do I begins with rather jaunty handclap rhythms, but this grows into a sweet crescendo of harmony singing, echoing guitars again layered within the mix. The title track is the sixth song and returns to that folk mode with fleeting moments sounding like Simon and Garfunkel’s The Boxer. Seventh Ghost in the Town sustains this mature progress with another simply written song that is shaped to sonic effect by tight harmonies and more Lanoisesque guitarscapes.

There are eleven tracks in all and it is pleasing throughout. It will be interesting to continue following this thoughtful singer-songwriter’s progress, especially if he replicates that made between this and his previous album.