Cork-born, Boston-residing singer/ songwriter BOB BRADSHAW has been knocking around the US singer/ songwriter scene for some years, with his former band Resident Aliens making something of an impression on the San Francisco scene during the 1990s.
"Enjoy Your Confusion", Bob's third solo outing, makes it immediately clear why discerning ears were begnning to prick up at the time. Your reviewer must confess abject ignorance of his previous pair of albums, but if they're laden down with the quality that abounds here, then a backtracking session is required.
Although certainly liberally spiced up with Americana and the occasional Celtic tinge, Bradshaw's music is predominantly of the well-crafted, power-pop variety and his musical acolytes such as multi-instrumentalist/ producer Scoop Maguire, drummer Mark McCartney, guitarist Jon Preuss and fiddler Chad Manning prove themselves to be remarkably versatile in colouring Bob's resonant songs as the album gradually unfurls.
Remarkably, the album appears to have been pieced together on the run, with tracks being laid down in different locations and respected roots man Ron Kavana's contributions being committed to tape in Fermoy, Co. Cork rather than California. I say remarkably, because regardless of this approach, "Enjoy Your Confusion" never once sounds less than a composite whole and is sequenced pretty much flawlessly.
The choppy guitar pop of "Lucky 4 U" ushers us in (literally) with bells on. Despite the Prince-style title, it has a distinctly Costello-ish bite, though Bradshaw's less lyrically complex than Mr.Mac. The tune has a slightly chromatic edge which never hurts and the usage of the banjo, reminiscent of Neil Young's "Harvest" is a fine idea.
From there on in, Bradshaw proves himself to be well-versed in a number of styles. He can master tough, niggly rockers like "Tomorrow's A Better Day To Die", which is built around Jon Preuss's descriptive lead guitar, and "Strange Joy", which builds patiently and is the very epitome of slowburning. The way its' chorus accelerates is heady and it even vaguely recalls one of my heroes, Mark Eitzel. Favourably, I should add.
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Elsewhere, Bob demonstrates he's good with spangly, semi-acoustic pop of the Neil Finn variety. Songs like "Surprise" and the more wistful "Let It Go" both fall into this category and both work effortlessly. The former finds Bob the emotional patsy ("It took a while to realize I was the fling and not the real thing" he admits ruefully at one point) while "Let It Go" metamorphosises from strident, harmony-addled pop to graceful, Carousel swirl before it hits the fade. You don't see it coming at all and it's a skilful departure and of some repute.
But Bradshaw's equally capable when penning an acoustic ballad. Tunes like "Not Too Far To Go" and "Tell Me A Story" are also among "Enjoy Your Confusion"s highlights, with Bob emotionally naked and vulnerable on the former and turning in a slow, folksy number of the Niall Connolly variety with the latter. The way the song ends with the bitter lyrical bang of "Dream on/ And when you wake/ I pray your damn silence to keep" provides a tangible shivers-down-the-spine moment.
Things can occasionally veer a little towards the middle of the road. Despite a killer chorus, "Hit The Road Angela" is especially guilty of rampant Steely Dan-isms, while "A Love That Won't Take No For An Answer" is accomplished, but a tad undistinguished. Even so, they're hardly major aberrations, and when Bob digs deeper and launches into the bluegrass-flavoured "From The 2-Step To The 12-Step Once Again" and the Christy Moore-style closing track "James Joyce On Guitar" he's as persuasive as hell.
"Enjoy Your Confusion", then, is an eclectic, but always consistently strong outing from a man who clearly has a God-given melodic knack and a way with tasty, roots-flavoured pop. The kind that never falls out of favour with the discerning.
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