Music Review: Christopher O'Riley, Second Grace: The Music of Nick Drake - Page 2

Is there a bright spot in this bleak adaptation of Drake's music? Generally adaptations are difficult anyway; as Charles Schulz once observed, reading classic literature that has been "adapted" for children is "not unlike drinking diluted root beer." The good news is that the bones of Drake's songs are underneath, and what good bones they are. And in places they come through: "Fly", where the bass voice of the piano carries the melody to good effect, is a good early example. "Harvest Breed"'s unusual chord progression carries through the trappings of the arrangement to grab the listener. And "Three Days" builds suspense through its gradually thickening chromatic language.

Probably the most successful reworking on the album is "River Man," where O'Riley lets the driving rhythm (in the liner notes he cites Dave Brubeck as an inspiration here) mingle at something like a meditative tempo with an increasingly discordant accompaniment. The bridge is delightful, a storm across the river valley. The second verse introduction after the bridge, where the introductory chords dip down to a minor fourth below the tonic, starts to carry the appropriate amount of menace. I will go so far as to say that here O'Riley may actually best Brad Mehldau, who consistently has gotten to this repertoire first (recording "Everything in Its Right Place," "Exit Music (For a Film)," and "River Man" several years ago); his version of the song is more complete and holds more emotional range.

So there are some bright points on the album; overall, though, it is too reminiscent of Abraham Lincoln's supposed observance, "People who like this sort of thing will find this the sort of thing they like."

I close by noting, as I did in my review of Hold Me to This, that the listening experience is greatly helped by turning the volume way up. Listening to the playback at an appropriately high volume level helps to bring out the subtleties of the recording and hold somnolence at bay.

Past Blogcritics reviews of O'Riley's recordings include:

• True Love Waits


• Hold Me to This: Christopher O'Riley Plays Radiohead


• Home to Oblivion: An Elliott Smith Tribute

Article Author: Timothy Jarrett

Visit Timothy Jarrett's author page — Timothy Jarrett's Blog