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Our mailbox gets choked with discs by acoustic-based singer-songwriters, it seems, and as I've mentioned before, these artists generally have their work cut out to win me over. So it's always a pleasant surprise when I end up enjoying one of these discs, as is the case with this 9-song mini-album from Providence, R.I.'s Tom Thumb.
His songs are nicely melodic, with unaffected vocals and some welcome flashes of humor in the lyrics. The instrumentation, apart from the acoustic guitar, includes some electric leads, casios, and pots-n-pans percussion. The songwriting is generally solid, if not innovative; it's more along the straightforward lines of Bruce Springsteen, Paul Westerberg, or even Jackson Browne (although it's not classic rock by any means) than the preciousness or willful idiosyncracy of your Iron & Wines and Will Oldhams. With a little effort, the pseudonymous Mr. Thumb has the potential to increase his musical stature from good to outstanding. (mike.05.05)
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