Some may say the pinnacle of Richard Shindell’s career was his breathtaking, epic album Reunion Hill. But, while that disc is brilliant, for me it’s not nearly as captivating or beautifully orchestrated as 2000’s Somewhere Near Paterson. Shindell, who has also released the terrific Sparrows Point, Blue Divide and the live album Courier is no stranger to critic’s raves and packed concert halls, but what he did on Somewhere Near Paterson is absolutely remarkable.

From the opening whispers of “Confession” to the beautiful cover of Buddy and Julie Miller’s “My Love Will Follow You,” Somewhere Near Paterson is a disc where the pieces all fit and everything is exactly where it should be. The album segues nicely–most notably on the celtic-flavored “Spring/Summer Reel” which begins as a jubilant spring song and jumps into a Celtic instrumental. On the spoken-word track, “Transit,” Shindell comically paints the picture of a weekend traffic jam in the Garden State:

“The merge from the turnpike was murder, but it’s never a cinch
It was Friday at five, and no one was giving an inch
They squeezed and the edged and they glared
Half of them clearly impaired by rage or exhaustion
The rest were just touchy as hell.”

But where Somewhere Near Paterson really shines is on the tender, heartfelt ballads. “Abuelita” recounts an Argentinian daughter searching for her parents, “Wisteria” laments a couple looking fondly at their old residence, and “The Grocer’s Broom” sadly looks at a shopkeeper coming to terms with his decline in business. Other noteworthy songs are the instrumental “Merrit Parkway, 3 a.m.” which is a beautiful break before the aforementioned “Transit” and a perfect song to play while you fall asleep. Other standouts include “You Stay Here,” which Shindell has noted as being about a Bosnian refugee, and the Midwestern flavored “Waiting for the Storm.” On the acoustic album closer “Calling the Moon” written by the amazing Dar Williams , Shindell sounds as good as he ever will.

For an album so richly layered with lush instrumentation, the sparse and simple “Calling the Moon” makes for a fitting end to a truly brilliant CD.

Richard Shindell is a master of crafting beautiful stories with his songs, and he has never done it better than on Somewhere Near Paterson. There are few singer/songwriter discs released in the last ten years that are better than this, save for maybe Josh Ritter’s Animal Years. SNP is an incredible disc that will hopefully sit on a pedestal for years to come. If you’re new to Shindell, let this disc be your introduction. If you’re a long-time fan, feel free to argue that I’m wrong in the comments section.

Post-script: Shindell released the Argentinian-flavored “Vuelta” a couple years ago and currently has a CD of cover songs out now. More information is available at www.richardshindell.com

Browse Timeline

• « It was 40 years ago today: Happy Birthday, Sgt. Pepper
• » The Devil and Billy Markham: The Dark Side of Shel Silverstein

Comments ( 1 Comment )

Add a Comment