While not as enthusiastically experimental and ambitious as his previous work, Repair just manages to have this laid-back sense of an artist who found something that works for him at this part of his life, and then rode it for all it was worth. Catchy hooks, enjoyable melodies, and some of the loveliest lyrics dealing with decidedly unlovely emotions as you are ever likely to encounter, all adds up a remarkable album.
In a world of artists who release albums filled to the brim with calculated song-writing and choreographed emotion — James Blunt, anyone? — Repair is a refreshing blend of stripped-down confessional songs that never pretend to be anything other than themselves, or their author. Perhaps due to the heartbreak that inspired them, the immediacy of Russell and Johns deciding to record each song live and in-studio with nearly no overdubs, or even due to nothing more or less than an artist finally catching up to his potential — Russell’s Repair is a wonderful collection of what can fairly be described as folk-pop.
Know what else it can be described as? Good music.
Standout tracks include “Rise and Shine,” “ Everybody Falls,” “My Own Blood,” and the album’s first single “The Razor.” If my words have made you the least bit curious as to what this album sounds like, Russell has uploaded three of the album’s songs onto his myspace page. While the album has not yet reached nationwide release in stores, if listening to his songs has you wanting to purchase the album, it is currently available on itunes.
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