Buck is Back

First off don't ask me what happened with Impasse. I don't know. But after a slew of records that ran from great (Since) to amazing (Devotion & Doubt and Bloomed) Richard Buckner put out the sub par Impasse. It's not that Impasse was a bad record, it was simply a let down by Buckner standards. Like so many fine singer/songwriters Buckner is criminally under appreciated. It seemed like that dam was finally going to break with Devotion & Doubt, one of the all time great break up/divorce records of all time. Spin Magazine put it as one of their years best in 1997. For some reason or another Buckner abandoned his strengths on Impasse. His deep, flexible baritone that wrapped so effortlessly around his tales of heartbreak and open roads seemed flat and uncomposed. Worse his sense of melody that he so effortlessly threw around got buried in a production that pushed his partners drums to the fore at the expense of the songs. But this isn't a rag on Impasse session. It's to declare that Richard Buckner is very much back on track with his new album Dents & Shells. It's classic Buckner, filled with melody, beauty and desperation. If you're new to Buckner pick up Bloomed and go from there. If you are one who fell off the back with Impasse get back on the train. You won't regret it. From the new album:

Her