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Jonathan Richman

"Surrender to Jonathan" CD (Warner)

I think I remember writing about savants of rock somewhere, once, but repetition never really bothered me when appropriate and in Richman's case, it certainly fits. Sure, maybe the Hammond is cheesy, maybe it is too mellow for my tastes, but there's still something here which grabs my attention. Sometimes it's just a chord, a note. Other times, it's a phrase, a lyrical turn of thought which perfectly captures a mood by delicately outlining the image. It can be stupid and dull; it can also be utterly beautiful. There's no "Roadrunner" here, but even roadrunners slow down after a while.

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Last modified on Wednesday, March 26, 2008