Joshua Radin, whose mellow acoustic songs harken the talents of Nick Drake and Elliot Smith, is finally getting attention. But not for the right reasons. Google his name and the list of pages all lead you to a recent Paris Hilton encounter, in which he witnessed her vomiting all over the stage during her performance after a Jay-Z concert in Vegas.Radin had sat next to the Grey Goose swigging pop-princess all night and recalls how she ignored him. According to his MySpace page "She never once said hello, nor even looked in my direction." But she isn't known for recognizing, nor possessing, talent. My bet is that a few months from now, he'll be much harder to ignore. With the recent release of a new alblum overflowing with his soft voice and love-torn lyrics, this modern troubadour is sure to quickly top the charts and amass hordes of adoring fans.
His album "We Were Here," released by Columbia records and produced by Chris Holmes, is pure poetry. An ode to falling in and out of love, each song is an intense and soul-twisting exploration of the pain, ecstasy and insecurity of relationships. Delivered in Radin's pitch-perfect, delicate voice, they are much more elegant than whiny and far more compelling than cliche.
A few of the highlights include the cello infused "Sundrenched World," which investigates the insecurities, pain and ecstasy of relationships with lyrics such as "I close up my mouth/ When you're around now/ Suffocating in doubt I can't make a sound." On the track "Paperweight" he is joined in a beautiful duet with Schuyler Fisk singing "you want the sunrise to go back to bed / i want to make you laugh / mess up my bed with me / kick off the covers / i'm waiting / every word you say i think/ i should write down/ i don't want to forget /come daylight " is the perfect love song to listen to on a lazy morning in bed with a new significant other.
By far, my favorite song and the catalyst to his career is "Winter." It is on his first alblum First Between 3rd and 4th, which was independantly produced. Radin wrote it three years ago, while he was living in New York. After playing it at a club in the West Village he passed it along to Scrub's star and former school mate Zach Braff who used in on the television show. His songs have since been featured several times on Scrubs and also been heard on Grey's Anatomy.
Despite the mass exposure these shows have provided him, the number of reviews have been sparse. The venerable Rolling Stone awarded him four stars, but other have been less impressed with the number one complaint being the lack of variation. The tracks retain a consistent slow-paced acoustic vibe and Joshua's vocal range and melodies do tend to travel a similar path. The one exception is "Somebody Else's Life," which speed the tempo up slightly. Yet, listened to in their own right, each track is hauntingly beautiful, with the lyrics by far being the strongest aspect of the alblum.
Put him in a mix, shuffle it up and each time one of his tracks come on, lose yourself in them. Just be sure to have a box of Kleenex and some Ben and Jerry's nearby.
Check him out at: http://www.joshuaradin.com/
If you like him try: Joe Purdy, Duncan Sheik, Teddy Geiger, John Mayer, Howie Day, The Shins.
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