Doughty's New Album
Mike Doughty, the former lead singer of the legendary 90's group Soul Coughing, has released a new solo album. Sad Man Happy Man is a more acoustic, personal body of work than his previous efforts, and you can try before you buy: Stream the whole album at Doughty's MySpace page.
Doughty's latest isn't as catchy as a typical Soul Coughing album, nor is it as pop-oriented as the wonderful Haughty Melodic or the disappointing Golden Delicious. Those are hardly strikes against Sad Man, though, as it retains his incredible way with words. The way Doughty's mind works to create some of the most memorable arrangements of words is enviable, especially to one whose stock in trade is arranging words.
It's not just the words that fascinate, though. Doughty's arrangements on the new album are possibly his best ever. His work shows a huge jump in maturity compared to Golden Delicious. The latest is edgy, organic, and sounds more off-the-cuff and far less overproduced than Doughty's earlier works.
The best cuts include the mostly-spoken-word "Pleasure on Credit," the acoustic, strum heavy "How to F--- a Republican," and a thumping, foot tapping piece called "Lord Lord Help Me Just to Rock Rock On." Doughty follows the trend of indie artists' new habit to allow you to hear the whole thing before you buy it. Put it on your 'must hear' list. At the very least, it's worth a free listen.
Comments
But I really liked Golden Delicious! I thought it was a bit more unique. Finally getting out to buy Sad Man today, though! Thanks for the free streaming info! I missed it! :-)
Hmm...I found Golden Delicious a bit too 'pop' for my tastes. I really thought Doughty could do better, and he has with Sad Man Happy Man! :)
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