Written
by Pamela Bellmore, posted by blog admin
Road
by the River, the new five song EP release from New Jersey based
singer/songwriter Michael Askin, is a relatively unassuming collection, but
there’s a warm glow radiating from these five tracks that’s, in turns, haunted
and deeply felt. He’s largely working in a folk/singer-songwriter mode, but there
are definitely nods to country, blues, and rock influences peeking out at
various times during this listening experience. Askin, fortunately, surrounds
himself with a top notch cast of collaborators obviously sympathetic to his
musical vision and they play with a singular focus aimed towards best serving
the songs. Despite the retro style Askin has chosen to adopt for his
songwriting, it has a fresh vitality that prevents it from ever sounding like
an academic exercise. Much of this is thanks to the superb writing and
uninhibited sensitivity Askin shows for giving us an artful peek into his life
and heart.
We
can hear that in the cool and confident jaunt he takes through the EP’s title
number and opener. The drums are captured especially well and set a memorable
tone for the performance as a whole, but the true beating heart of the song
comes with Askin’s emotive singing and the satisfaction arriving with the
chorus. It’s the only time he makes extensive use of harmonies to buttress his
singing, but it’s exceptionally well done and memorable for its brevity. Some
of the inevitable chagrin you experience when you feel like you aren’t being
heard and held down comes across with the song “Nashville” and, although he
communicates his dissatisfaction clearly, Askin’s songwriting is distinguished
for its lack of pointless vitriol. It’s one of the EP’s darkest musical moments
as well.
Not
quite as dark as “Sun Goes Down” however. Askin, with this song, arguably goes
deeper than anywhere else on the EP and his guitar playing particularly stands
out thanks to its shadowy elegance, taste, and soulful touch. He hits another
high point with the song “Hard to Make a Living” and this Merle Haggard-ish
(lyrically) meditation on rough times allows his country music influences to
come through a final time. The EP’s ending number, “Last Train”, mixes a dollop
of rock into a folky blues shuffle that’s brief, but becomes more interesting
as it goes along. It’s, lyrically, probably his most Americana tinged moment on
the EP and feels like a satisfying finish for the EP in every way. Michael
Askin’s Road by the River doesn’t have to pretend to be authentic; there’s a
life well lived coming across on every song.
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