The Michigan Daily - Friday, September 22, 1989 - Page 9- I0 '00000 '0 Brendan Croker and the Five O'Clock Shadows Brendan Croker and the Five O' Clock Shadows Silvertone Records The immense specter of Van Morrison haunts Brendan Croker's debut album. It's not that both of their faces perfectly exemplify the whiskey-soaked barfly, or the fact that Katie Kissoon, a frequent col- laborator with Morrison, sings back- up on "Shine On." You see, like Morrison, Brendan Croker absorbs the enormous sense of joy in American music that allows the per- former to overcome the difficulties in his life. In this case, Croker deals with his feelings of insignificance and powerlessness. Croker lists Elvis, the blues, and Cajun music as his primary influ- ences. While this doesn't really show in his music, his delight in singing is irrepressible and this al- lows him to "walk down this road/ and turn the next corner/ And it will 7"c Vai4 all disappear." Soundwise, the record has as much to do with Croker's in- fluences as late '70s Paul Simon has to do with his folk background. The album is ultra-slick, and although this kind of production gives the music a very lush feel, it sorely lacks a sense of authenticity. The record's strongest songs are those that maintain the closest ties to their roots, like the horn-fueled blues romp "You Don't Need Me Here" or the honkytonk tear-jerker "Just an Old Waltz." Like that of his country and western mentors, Hank Williams and Johnny Cash, Croker's songwriting is somewhat sparse, relying more on imagery than on storyline. This is nonetheless the album's major downfall. Croker's songs focus too much on the chorus without devel- oping the rest of the song, leading to repetition without any depth of ex- ploration. Van Morrison's songwriting tal ent does not preside over this album- like his jubilant performing does, but Brendan Croker has more,- promise than anyone else on they contemporary music scene to pre- serve and extend the boundaries of traditional American music. He has a- firm grasp on the music's basic ele- ments; the horn section is under- stated but still manages to provide a significant punch, and his voice is~ capable of both serene beauty (his duets with Tanita Tikaram and Eric Clapton) and gutsy bar room R and" B ("You Don't Need Me Here" and "All Mixed Up"). Brendan Croker and the Five O'Clock Shadows is not a great album, but it has more. potential than any other record in the, "folk-rock" genre since Michelle Shocked's latest -Peter Shapiroa 0 z I-J wi wn Ca COMEDY. 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