Mark Erelli – Innocent When You Dream

After the political and emotional catharsis of 2006’s Hope And Other Casualties, Mark Erelli deserves the respite of this (mostly) covers collection. Performed primarily solo (with occasional help from Jeffrey Foucault), the material reveals Erelli as a fan of both conventional folk-rock and some experimental avenues of alt-country.

Erelli doesn’t provide much interpretation to the expected fare. Neither “I’ll Be Here In The Morning” (Townes Van Zant) or “Defying Gravity” (Jesse Winchester) go much beyond standard coffeehouse reverence. He invests Tom Petty’s “Alright For Now” and James Taylor’s “Close Your Eyes” with a world-weary, modern perspective, finding avenues of a more universal remorse than previously imagined.

Erelli’s singing and performance, occasionally overwrought on his own material, really settles down here. He finds nuisance and hidden meaning in the works of writers as diverse as Jeff Tweedy and Shaun Colvin. The cover choices seem to help ground Erelli’s own songs; the originals “Tired Eyes” and “Little Torch” are as affecting and poignant as anything he’s committed to disc.