CD Reviews

Jeff Murphy

Cantilever | Black Vinyl

By BRETT MILANO | February 26, 2007

3.5 Stars

From Zion, Illinois, the Shoes were an odd combination of romantics and gearheads, combining classic-model pop songwriting with pristine sonics — their guitar textures were just as expressive as their breathy vocals and chorus hooks. Ten years ago, after half a dozen wonderful albums and almost no live shows, the group stopped operating; singer/guitarist Jeff Murphy’s solo debut is the first music from any Shoes members since. He keeps the mix of classic and contemporary intact: “I’m a Tool for You” opens the disc with a sonic quote from Todd Rundgren’s “I Saw the Light,” but Murphy’s choice of romantic metaphors (“Let me be your digital wave”) is right up to date. The Rundgren nod is no coincidence: this is a solo album in the early-’70s sense of one guy playing all the instruments, before drum machines made more shortcuts possible. Homages are also paid to other solo recordists of that time, from Paul McCartney and cult hero Emitt Rhodes to Stevie Wonder (whose favorite Clavinet sound turns up on “Couple of Words”). The sonic touches — banjo and accordion here, the ever-popular jangly 12-string there — make the disc fun, but the songwriting is what resonates. Most of the disc is vintage and tuneful power pop, but the higher-reaching finale, “Unconditional Love,” is infused with both spirituality and Brian Wilson; call it a grown-up symphony to God.

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