Where You Are
- Pop/Rock
- 2009
- Buy the CD
Reviewed by Lee Zimmerman
The divide couldn’t be clearer than on the first entry, "It’s Gonna Be a Great Day," a tonic for troubled times that’s sunnier and more optimistic than any song in recent memory. Upbeat and effusive, it starts the album off with an upward glance that only occasionally reverses perspective. When Vincent laments lost love – as relayed on the tender, touching bittersweet ballad "Emily Standing" or the momentarily melancholy "It’s a Lonely World," the sadness seems only fleeting. Even on a song that seems to find him emotionally shattered, "The World Is Upside Down," he’s able to end on a hopeful note: "I go on believing things will be better someday."
Mostly, Vincent visits the same tender turf that he trod so frequently on his six earlier album – culled from graceful piano melodies, carefully construed arrangements (Vincent himself plays keyboards and sax) and a sentimental streak that’s unabashedly unbridled. The shimmery piano pop of "Where You Are," "Satellite," and "Goin’ Down" reveal a vulnerability that’s both endearing and engaging. Likewise, "In Another Life" provides a rousing refrain that will make anyone weaned on the sounds of the ‘70s practically squeal with nostalgia. Call it old school, call it the echo of another era, but the blend of innocence and exuberance is as affecting as it is refreshing.
Nowadays Vincent – and like-minded veterans – deserves appreciation for bucking the trends and remaining true to their pop precepts. True, maybe they’re not hip enough, not savvy enough, not as tuned into the masses as perhaps they ought to be. No matter, though; Where You Are is one of the great discoveries of this year thus far, and a reminder that a good hook can always bait those in need of a terrific tune.
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