Things don’t start all that promisingly when Johnathan Rice opens his sophomore platter with the telltale sound of a Nikon shutter going off. Oh, right, we get it—he’s going to show us some snapshots from his life! Indeed, his songs aspire to be taken with the utmost seriousness as Rice spins yarns about this big ol’ world through which the weary-but-wide-eyed troubadour journeys. And most of the material is forgettably inoffensive strum ’n’ twang fare—the title track and “The Middle Of The Road” aim for Tom Petty and Steve Earle but come off like Eagles outtakes—suggesting Rice is merely another in a long line of singer/songwriters snapped up and smoothed out by major labels for a boardroom-approved approximation of Americana. Yet there are encouraging signs of life here. “The End Of The Affair” is an upbeat country/rock duet with Jenny Lewis that allows Rice to relax by not having to shoulder the whole load; the psychedelic swirl and big-beat thump of “THC” locates the improbable intersection between “Tomorrow Never Knows” and “Rock And Roll Part Two”; and “What Am I Gonna Do?” mines a Searchers/ Hollies jangle motif to luminous effect. When Rice ditches the No Depression-lite shtick, his instincts serve him well. His challenge will be to stop listening to A&R execs and trust those instincts. [www.repriserecords.com]
—Fred Mills
