CD Review: Joshua Radin, Simple Times

If there's one thing Joshua Radin does best, it's to make any situation romantic with his music. For a man who seems to have gotten his heart broken more than once, twice, or five times, he is still able to make anyone with a hard heart want to fall in love again.

With his latest CD, Simple Times, a few of his songs are more upbeat and joyous than albums of past. "I'd Rather Be With You" is a reminder of faithfulness and growing old with someone. It's short and sweet, something you'd imagine Radin playing on his porch with a few neighbors around, but it brings the listener back to the roots of a love song with it's simple chords and few instruments.

"You've Got Growing Up To Do" is a duet with Patty Griffin, their two voices sounding like a train chooing on the tracks. It's a song about a wedding, but the lyrics take a twist once they both say they're leaving each other. The words are poetic and refreshing, but have a melancholy tone that runs through the song and speaks of a love that suffers long.

Although Radin is most notable for his song, "Today," on his last album, We Were Here, Radin proves he can break out of his own box with this album. He has quirkier songs like "Vegetable Car" about a girl who wears Lisa Loeb glasses who he wants to ride around all day with. The song is upbeat and something you can snap your fingers to, but doesn't stray from the title of the album.

The only thing Radin seems to keep repeating is his love of singing love songs. He doesn't stray from his mushy lyrics, even if they are original and poetic. Although they may get old, most people can listen to them and relate, feeling as if he can put it more simply than they could. It's an album you can listen to when you're feeling in a certain mood, but either way you'll walk away feeling either better or worse about your love life than when you first put the songs on. Maybe some day Radin will expand his topic of discussion, but for now he's staying true to what he knows.

Katie Cervantes

Live OC Magazine

www.LIVEOCMAG.com