Description
After unleashing a glittering torrent of indie-pop hooks on the Pernice Brothers album “Spread the Feeling” last year, Joe Pernice took a lower-key approach on “Richard,” his first solo album since 2009. And it is very much a solo album: the 10 songs on “Richard” feature little more than Pernice singing while accompanying himself on a nylon-string guitar. Melody is still very much present on “Richard,” but in a subtler way. Without the guitar hooks, harmony vocals and stick-in-your-head riffs that characterize so much of the band’s catalog, these songs rely heavily on Pernice’s voice. He more than meets the challenge. His vocals are muted but tuneful on “Sullivan Street,” a reminiscence that skirts the edges of nostalgia without ever falling in. He sings with somber elegance over strummed guitar, and a trumpet part from Joshua Karp (one of only two outside contributions on the album) fills the musical break.
Recording an album by himself at home in Toronto during the coronavirus lockdown counts as a victory, too, and not such a little one, considering he’s also been working on an album of Barry Manilow covers. Also, genuine productivity has been generally hard to come by these past several months. Not only has Pernice found a way to keep himself occupied during a strange and stressful time, he’s demonstrated the diligence to keep honing his talents, and the willingness to share the results.
