Joshua Radin is back with a far more ambitious collection of songs than on his two previous long-players. Whereas We Were Here and Simple Times were decidedly downbeat, The Rock And The Tide is a blend of gospel, folk and pop rock. The optimistic tone is signalled from the opening track ‘Road To Ride On’, a breezy, poppy onslaught. The beautiful second track ‘Streetlights’ confirms the new direction with gospel style clapping and backing vocals.
‘I Missed You’ is the pick of the tunes and the most likely to be heard on a slew of TV shows across America, edging out ‘We Are Only Get Better’, which possesses an infectious chorus, into a close second.
Radin has added a surprising element to his songwriting with pulsating bass lines and synths on ‘The Ones With The Light’ and ‘Here We Go’ that are more likely to get people dancing than anything in his early work.
That’s not to say that he ignores the slower, quieter songs which typified his earlier work. ‘You Got What I Need’ and ‘Think I’ll Go Inside’ keep up the tradition.
His shift to the pop rock stable could have ended disastrously but on the evidence of these ten songs, it was well worth the risk.