Redemption's Son
One of the most promising ofPeter Gabriel's Real World label protégés came not from some dusty, Third World village, but from that American tire and rubber mecca, Akron, Ohio. But while Arthur's previous Gabriel-inspired adventures netted him considerable critical kudos and even a ‘99 Grammy nod for his self-created album art, he turns an even neater trick here. The frameworks for Arthur's 16 poetic, alternately introspective and impressionistic songs may be more firmly rooted in traditional folk and singer-songwriter formula than ever, but the influence of Gabriel seems even more pronounced on the album's evocative, often hypnotic sonic textures.  Densely layered yet deceptively organic, it's a record of endless production subtleties in service of songs that trickle and dart like a playful stream of consciousness. Whether putting his own peculiar spin on romantic foibles in the dirge-turns-anthem "Favorite Girl," the upbeat energy of "Let's Embrace" and "In the Night," or conjuring more intriguing existential imagery on the fragile "You Are the Dark," Arthur has produced an album that reveals itself anew on every listen.--Jerry McCulley