Dodd Ferrelle’s songs are wary entities, tough and burdened by memory. Yet they are often also uplifting, challenges to us to move beyond the past. Suckerpunch Town‘s title track is an immediate standout, an ode to the great and terrible places we live wherein David Blackmon’s careening fiddle seems to echo Ferrelle’s weary sentiment. “Oh my God / It’s gonna kill us all,” he sings.
Ferrelle’s lyrics are cliché-riddled, and certain songs suffer from a blatant sameness. Yet when he branches out, he goes too far: “Wonderlove” is a twee-pop number that’s cute, in a Magnetic Fields kinda way, but makes absolutely no sense within the context of the album’s fiddle-laced Americana. Ferrelle’s desire to avoid being pigeonholed is evident—but he seems most at home when backed by a twangy slide guitar.
Suckerpunch Town‘s highlights outweigh its lows. Tracks like “Georgia Rain” are worn-in, comfortable, warm and unpretentious. Closer “Half Broken” is a spiritually loaded tune that benefits, like much of Ferrelle’s work, from its pained and simple honesty. We could use more of that around these parts.
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