Pushes Boundaries Successfully of Established Musical Genres With Pop-Country Sensibility

Out of the gate Griffin House — a singer-songwriter not a band — provides an imaginative mix of pop-country with syrupy wonderful female vocals over a steady-beat track. Hints of Hammond organ, chiming guitars and heavy piano add to the disciplined showcase. Griffin House’s vocals are not Elvis Presley deep, Nick Drake melancholy, Tom Waits gruff or typical 2016 pop male vocalists. Instead, he fortunately has a commanding timbre, a quirky-like Lyle Lovett charm and does have a dynamic that is attractive.

“Yesterday’s Lies,” is a great introduction about whether yesterday is better than today and if it’s really true. A good subject for thoughtful songwriting and serious listeners. Griffin House I can say — succeeds.

A more 70’s trek musically surfaces in “Games,” but because it’s performed with quiet authority and nostalgia about growing up and realizing that playing games isn’t what life should be about it transcends the reference. Don’t ignore it.  Again, my enjoyment of this artist is his ability to write songs based on subjects that are not often touched upon. And this is what sets this artist apart from the croweded field. He maintains a commercial thread in his tunes but the construction is high level. Vulnerable at times and filled with experience. Griffin has a nice way with his turn of phrase and he neatly threads his words and melodies together in an insightful manner. Toward the end of this track the drums are tight, the guitars chime and weave through with nice piano runs. A simple delightful listen.

Unlike some reviewers, I sometimes mention artists that are similar and not necessarily “today’s” voices. Many younger readers may not make the connection to my references – which should motivate them to explore the artists I cite; they are all on YouTube — but even the artists that younger reviewers use as a point of reference were influenced even further back by those I mention. So these are reliable sources for the style and approach. If you suggest someone sounds like Jeff Buckley without referencing his father Tim Buckley – that would be a mistake. The roots of that style began with the Original, creative and influential Tim Buckley. Why did I capitilze it? Few singer-songwriters sounded like Tim before Tim came upon the scene. That’s where Jeff got all his sweetness, vinegar and wine. Same can be said for Jakob Dylan, Lisa-Marie Presley, Rufus Wainwright and many of the younger artists. Julian Lennon when he successfully sprung onto the music scene almost sounded exactly like his dad John Lennon. But….and it’s a big but — these sprouts did possess a grain of their own originality and they were not in the shadow of their famous parent. Very important. 

We are so far out into the recording business now that no matter what you record it would be safe to assume that someone in the past had already explored or experimented with that style, approach or genre. But that’s not a bad thing – it helps to widen a listener’s knowledge of what is possible, and how younger artists can sometimes take something older and refreshen it. Griffin House, while not the son of a famous singer-songwriter — is still one of those refreshers.

My references are more for familiarity than influence. Especially for older readers. My having been in the music business for over thirty years – I do reach back to eras where many past artists of renown and not so much renown linger in the margins.

This collection was recorded in Asbury Park, NJ – and I am not surprised there is a little Springsteen spice that runs through some of these songs – not surprised at all. Must be the air, the water down there. But, I must admit after listening three times to this album “So On and So Forth,” – Griffin House is his own man. He is not emulating Springsteen or Mellancamp. He is no clone. He is mining a ground of song that these other artists are not.

“Playing the Fool,” underscores a nice Hammond organ just below the vocal surface and it subliminally supports the mood of the wonderful tale. Maybe it’s little additions like that, that keeps the style elevated and away safely from comparisons to Springsteen. Bruce might touch upon these subjects but they don’t tell the same tale, the same way. Griffin has a touch of James Maddock in his songwriting – Maddock, being a veteran Englishman who lives in NYC also likes to tell these types of stories effectively with nostalgia, deep emotional wording and compelling ways of unfolding lyrical phrases. This they share with a richness. 

“Straight in the Night,” is great. Haunting, cryptic guitar tones, bittersweet, grazing the edges of alcohol and reality. Griffin’s vocal is sincere, biting and has the necessary energy and endurance to tell the story first person without losing any discipline. Powerful stuff. “Paris Calling,” is more commercial-oriented but it’s a true story about how House fell in love with the Parisian city when he was there. Years ago folk-rock legend Don Nix released a similar album “Heroes, Hoboes, and Street Corner Clowns,” where several tracks were married to American folk-country idioms and Parisian excursions. It was brilliant. “Rainy Night in Paris,” “She’s a Friend of Mine,” “The Train Don’t Stop Here Anymore,” “Black Cat Moan,” and from an earlier album “A Demian (Until Tomorrow)” were ingenious with inflections of European folk music and cabaret-bohemian music brilliantly tied together. Something Griffin House would certainly appreciate. I hear strains of Nix in many of his songs and because Griffin may have never heard of Nix – there is no influential stain on his musical approach.

“Further,” continues in this Don Nix tradition and this is beginning to sound like a totally rewarding listen. Griffin’s vocals are at their finest here and so is his storytelling. “My head is so small; I don’t know how my thoughts get lost so easily.” Right out of a John Prine songbook but it’s not. It’s all Griffin House and it’s a memorable line. The song is quite serious and it takes a few listens for its message to sink in. But the melody will captivate instantly.

One thing is for certain on first listen to Griffin House – he has a gift for lyric and melody that work in tandem and it cuts through the mundane. His additional gift is the ability to tell their story effectively and he has many instantly recognizable stories that listeners can and will relate to. They are song lyrics that are not often challenged by other lesser songwriters. Those writers have tales — but they tell their repetitious stories with clichés, hooks and standard words. Not Griffin House. He tweaks his words; uses words as if they too – are a musical instrument of equal value in his composition. A guitar here, a piano there, and maybe this word is wrong. Oh yeah…it’s a labor of love.

“Easy Come, Easy Go,” is also a viable commercial song. It’s not standard fare even though it’s pretty basic. Griffin plays with his ability to use his voice effectively, inflections, phrasing, all placed strategically. The guitars snake around his vocals, the mere tone of the strings presses against Griffin’s confident vocal and the pound of piano keys toward the finale are playfully sweet. This is Nashville commercial music at its best – and it’s not pop-country pulp. It has roots, it has meat on the bones — even if maybe, he applied a lot of barbecue sauce.

Song placement is equally important. From pop-country Griffin slides into a deep, seductive, “A Painting by Hieronymus Bosch.” What? Oh yeah, I like this guy. This may be a difficult title to remember, pronounce or have people running to their dictionaries. But this tune is a heavyweight. This fellow is definitely in there with Don Nix now. Excellently arranged, it punctuates the marriage ties between European deep dark underworld and Americana bright notions. This is about a woman the singer wants to love but she only wants to be desired. What? Oh yeah…this is a class act. Will the average audience get it? Of course not. But that doesn’t matter because this artist is going to chip away at that wall and eventually he will be on the other side. The grungy guitars and oom-pa-pa drum beat is infectious. This is a challenging song and it has room to develop even further. Absolutely wonderful. This is when an artist pushes the boundaries of an established musical genre and the boundaries try to push back. Why is it so good? Because it shows you just how flexible and great country-folk-Americana music can be when it’s blended carefully with other genres. In the hands of Griffin House – this is like the ultimate musical martini.

Time for a ballad…and Griffin House pieces together a song reminiscent of rockabilly balladeer Billy Swan – top tier chorus and all. Steady standard beat, “Wrecking Ball,” chugs along a little heavy handed but the acoustic guitars and slide guitar keep it grounded. Griffin’s vocal maintains style and substance despite being a typically fine country song and subject. Not everything needs to be Shakespeare. 

Another ballad slides into position with “Silver Line,” and Griffin does not rest back on his laurels. Another song subject seldom tackled by today’s country artists. Griffin’s vocals are a little more self-assured in a softer tone. No drama, just dusted with emotional glaze and powder. The overall sound is sincere – the approach is different from other tracks. Griffin’s diversification and virtuosity is well-managed throughout this album. As stated in his PR – “…we are all responsible for our part, and all of us need forgiveness for things.”

The bonus track “Omaha,” is a little raw compared to the other polished studio tracks. But there is a nice personal feel to this type of song. Reflective, poignant, and with lines like “…all my life against the grain.” It tackles what many feel as they struggle from one disappointment to another, from one uncertainty to another, and from one era to another. While many artists feel they need to impress with power, showmanship, laser beams, smoke machines and twenty-five dancers behind them. They don’t realize how potent it is when you stop an audience dead in its tracks and mesmerize them with a ballad so strong that they can’t move.

A mournful harmonica dominates this song but, Griffin’s vocal works so well with its spoonful of reality. This is where a true artist tests his mettle. This is a song about what it’s all about – and harkens back to the days when writing a song meant saying something and letting an audience walk away taking some small part of it with them. Griffin House has all of this and I believe he’s just an iceberg. We have seen only the tip.

This 12 song collection was produced by Griffin House and Jon Leidersdorff.

I had no CD art so I couldn’t comment on the packaging.

Credits:

Alex Brumel – Lead Guitars; Tom Cottone – Drums; Jonathan Tea – Piano & Organ; Rob Tanico – Bass; Jon Leidersdorff – Background Vocals on “Easy Come, Easy Go;” Evan Rudenjak – Background Vocals on “Silver Line;” Khadijah Mohammed – Background Vocals on “Paris Calling,” “Wrecking Ball,” and “Yesterday Lies;” Leia Rochester – Background Vocals on “Yesterday Lies;” Griffin House – Guitars, Lead Vocals & Background Vocals

Website:  http://griffinhousemusic.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/griffinhouse/

Musixhub: http://www.musixhub.com/search.php?name=griffin+house

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this review / commentary are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of No Depression. All photography is owned by the respective photographers and is their copyrighted image; credited where photographer’s name was known & being used here solely as reference and will be removed on request. YouTube images are standard YouTube license.

John Apice / No Depression / Written in May 2016