Michael Roe
The Boat Ashore
Reviewed by Dan MacIntosh
The title of Michael Roe's Your Boat Ashore may be a play on words with a much beloved/hated campfire standard, but as anyone who has followed Michael Roe's music knows, he is rarely ever caught just playing around when it comes to his music. Once again, here's another record about the struggles we face in relationships--with our significant others, as well as with God. This time, with his latest solo record, the 77's frontman has put these struggles to a quieter, more acoustic accompaniment. Sure, there's a great Stones-ey sounding thing at the end, but most of this plays like soft rock music with--of all things--a Grateful Dead influence added in for good measure. Just listen to "Love Like Gold." Is that Jerry Garcia noodling on the guitar part, or am I just hearing things? Roe has always been a master of taking the conversations we usually only have with our bathroom mirrors and putting them to music. In "Some Kind of Dream" he sings, "But I found out too late that it's gonna take more than a good voice/ To make a good love song." Fortunately, Roe has more than a good voice, as he continues to sing us to shore with revealing and honest love songs.