Michael Knott

Item: Rocket And A Bomb
Author: Brad Caviness

Rocket And A Bomb

(1994)

Reviewed by Brad Caviness

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Label Brainstorm ArtistsSyndicateAug 1994

americana folk rock roots rock singer-songwriter

Do not miss this one, folks. In a year where Knott is releasing more records than most artists release in a decade, Rocket And A Bomb clearly stands out from the rest of Knott's catalog as the kind of work that inevitably serves as the guide by which future releases are judged. For more than seven years, Knott has been churning out hard and heavy alternative rock, trying in one way or another to live up to the standard he established with the first LSU record, Shaded Pain. He's been successful more often than not, some efforts falling short mainly because of budget and production constraints, rather than artistic shortcomings. With Rocket And A Bomb, Knott tries on a new hat, that of the rootsy singer/songwriter, and establishes for himself a new benchmark of artistic excellence that will surely raise expectations for future projects.

Rocket And A Bomb takes most of its cues, musically, from the Petty/Dylan school of rocking, a formula leaving plenty of room in the mix for the listener to fill in the gaps with imagination. Guitars ring rather than scream and the mood is more appropriate for an intimate coffeehouse instead of a noisy, sweaty club. Fender Rhodes (sweetly played by Gene Eugene) nicely rounds out the opening track, "Jan The Weather Man" and "Make Me Feel Good," and a lilting cello adds a folky quality to "Adrian."

Knott fills his songs with tales about people in a way recalling Randy Stonehill's method of storytelling, but grittier and without as much sentiment. The stories reflect the lives of junkies and the mentally ill, many of whom are very real people that Knott was surrounded by when living on Hollywood Boulevard. Several songs carry the name of a person, presumably the inspiration for the song. Some are bittersweet ("Jan The Weather Man," "John Barrymore Jr."), others are tragic ("Bubbles," "Kitty Courtesy"). All are filled with a desperation and longing for fulfillment—a rocket and a bomb to carry them away and blow down the walls.

Instead of just singing a few songs to make us feel sorry for the homeless and make us thankful for what we've got, Knott puts a name and face to a few of L.A.'s disenfranchised, connecting their lives and struggles with those of the listener. Rocket And A Bomb offers no agenda, just an unflinching and compassionate look at a class of people too often ignored. Sentimentality is an option, but humanity is the essential element that serves to remind us what Jesus meant when he said "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven."

4.5/5