Waking up one morning and checking my e-mail I was delighted to hear of the release of this new album from singer/songwriter/guitarist Justin Dillon Stevens, formerly of Dimestore Prophets. Upon its arrival and within the first few chords of "mud in your eye" the trip that I had been leaving for when it arrived was mysteriously postponed. Lyrically, this album is thought provoking and is very much along the same lines of Dime Store Prophets' love is against the grain.
you don't need the crack-case self-help yourself see inside
the real you book of the month club caffeine culture quick-fix
(from "that far away look")
you can't live out here in a technicolor wasteland
you're the martyr of the trailer park
(from "eli, don't cry")
Former DSP members, Joel Metzler (drums) and Sam Hernandez (bass, organ, piano and production), and Dryve lead guitarist Steve Pratchner (lead and slide guitar) have been commissioned to add their bit to the mix. Stevens describes his music as "acid folk," which is a pretty fitting name for it. He uses a good blend of electric and acoustic guitars, the almighty Hammond, electric piano, and the real treat is Pratchner's slide guitar work on "eli, don't cry".
This CD is a must buy for anyone looking to fill the void left by the demise of Dryve and DSP, and fans of folk rock will also find this an excellent buy. My only quirks are that it feels skimpy with only six songs, and the CD-ROM portion is Macintosh only. This is a bit hard-to-find, but if you have internet access it shouldn't be too much of a struggle. An album of this caliber is well worth the effort.
5 tocks
Other coverage for this album
The Phantom Tollbooth 1998Reviewed by Steven S. BaldwinWhen a band is put to bed, often the sundry talents involved don't survive either. Gratefully, in the case of Dime Store Prophets' demise, front-man Justin Dillon Stevens is still going strong, and his new sort-of self-titled EP refutes the obituaries. The remarkable thing about Stevens is that he is single-handedly covering styles of music that most Christians have curiously avoided. What's…
