Josh Ritter’s songs are disconcertingly uncomplicated. There are no bells, no whistles, no blips, no bleeps, no electronic accompaniments, no elaborate symphonic arrangements. What there is, though, is the simple, enduring power of the song. And the 11 tracks that make up Hello Starling seem almost to glow with the warmth of truth, sincerity and beauty.
Recorded in France’s Black Box Studios (which is fast becoming a home from home for Irish acts) with former Frames-man Dave Odlum at the controls, Hello Starling is a massive leap forward from the already impressive Ritter, and makes his previous album Golden Age Of Radio pale by comparison. The young Idaho native is more confident, more sure of his talent, and his songwriting has taken on a new resonance as a result.
Recent radio hit ‘Man Burning’ is present and correct, as is the deliciously melancholy ‘Rainslicker’ and live favourite ‘Kathleen’, which sees our hero waiting around at a party to drive the prettiest girl home, despite the attentions of all the other guys there: “You act like you’re hip to their tricks and you’re strong/But a virgin Wurlitzer heart never once had a song”. The other familiar face is the magnificent ‘Snow Is Gone’, first featured on the Other Voices album: the most joyous, uplifting song I’ve heard since The Flaming Lips ‘Do You Realize?’
‘You Don’t Make It Easy Babe’ is sure to evoke comparisons with Dylan, and it’s so good it could easily have been penned by old Zim himself. The religious imagery and Southern gothic tone of the powerful ‘Wings’ obviously struck a chord with Joan Baez, who covers it on her new album, but it is hard to imagine anyone doing this better than young Josh himself. Just when you think it can’t get any better comes the frighteningly brilliant ‘Bone Of Song’, evoking centuries of classic songwriting and sounding like Leonard Cohen shot through with Willie Nelson.
Josh Ritter has often been compared to classic songwriters like Cohen, Cash, Dylan and Young. Now, with Hello Starling, he has the artillery in his canon to meet them as equals.