Josh Birdsong comes out of this five
song EP sounding like a potential world-beater. The material on his debut
release Simple Geometry solidifies his position as one of Nashville’s most
talented songwriters, a all-around icon in the making capable of excelling
musically and lyrically while still working within commercially viable and
recognizable forms. Birdsong never panders. The songs on Simple Geometry don’t
broach any new subject matter for popular song, but Birdsong’s talent with
words and the connection between his self-expression and the quantifiable
results of his effort set him far apart from most of his contemporaries. His
lyrics glow with an astute literary quality that goes far beyond the ken of
verse, chorus, verse, and tries to engage its audience on a much deeper level
than formula will typically allow.
The first song on the EP,
“Unspeakable”, and will likely rate among its best lyrical offerings for many
listeners thanks to its facility with imagery and literary devices. Birdsong
never overplays the lyric and, instead, exercising a great deal of care with
his phrasing that helps the words enjoys a chance to stand on their own. The
EP’s second song “Radio Waves” has a steady pulse, but it accumulates
additional instruments slowly and, by the time listeners are deep in the song’s
second half, they are being carried along by a full band arrangement full of
feeling and velocity. The guitar playing here is even sharper than on the
preceding song and the use of effects like reverb and delay don’t put a drag on
the playing but, instead, create interesting effects within the structure of
the song. The EP’s third song “Drive” lacks the production work heard on the
preceding songs, but it makes more use of contrasting musical light and shade
than any previous song and beefs up the track as a whole by inserting forceful
acoustic rhythm guitar at the song’s foundation. There’s a more laid back
attitude exhibited here that Birdsong doubles down on with his relaxed vocal.
“Why?” returns listeners to the EP’s
original territory. Birdsong’s guitar is, once again, festooned with all manner
of digital effects, but nothing can obscure the compact and fluent melodies
emerging from Birdsong’s playing. There’s a more yearning, demanding spirit
than before expressing itself here lyrically or musically and it’s a credit to
Birdsong’s collaborators that so ably help realize his musical vision. Simple
Geometry’s final song, “You and I”, embodies the aforementioned wont for
exploring traditional subjects through new eyes. Birdsong’s acoustic meditation
on the vagaries of romantic love is exquisitely and simply presented, but more
importantly, it never impedes his ability to convey the emotional nature of the
subject for him.
Simple Geometry may come out of
Nashville, but there’s no hint of country here. Birdsong’s evolution coincides
with the transformation of this traditional music stronghold into a mainstream
artistic hub no longer content with being regarded as a regional and cultural
backwater. The five songs on this EP are moving and highly entertaining.
9 out of 10 stars.
Dale Butcher
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