New York songwriter Jesse Malin is an artist you either like or dislike. He's an above-average songwriter, but his performances sometimes lean towards an almost hysterical poseurism - either too snippy or too tough, as if we should never forget that he was once a punk singer. The
Lucinda Williams, as producer of the excellent
Sunset Kid (2019), managed to curb that somewhat. The ambitious follow-up
… Sad And Beautiful brings back the theatrical Malin. The double album is split into a Roots Rock and Radicals CD. As to be expected, the first part shows Malin of his gentle side with a collection of Americana-tinged songs. Radicals takes him back to the streets of New York, with a sharper rock sound and lyrics in which he muses about his former life as a street boy. So that we never forget that he once was one too. (MR)more
