Right Between the Promises
Freedy Johnston's best songs can convey more in a single detail--"And these pills won't even let me cry," mourns the haunted narrator of "This Perfect World"--than most artists can express in an entire album. There's nothing quite so poignant onRight Between the Promises, Johnson's fourth album for Elektra and sixth overall. In fact, the album's most aching sentiments are reserved for something not at all human, as the riffy verses of "Back to My Machine" melt into a chamber-pop chorus with Johnston crooning "Oh how I wish you were real." Tasteful string arrangements also complement Johnston's melancholy vocals on "That's Alright with Me," "In My Dream," and the gorgeous "Arriving on a Train," while "Radio for Heartache" strips the formula down to its essence, just Johnston and his ukulele. There's also a pleasant, if not particularly revelatory, cover of the 1970Edison Lighthousehit, "Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)," but with the entire album clocking in at just 38 minutes, more of Johnston's original hook-filled heartbreak would have been welcome. All in all, a must for Johnston followers, but newcomers may want to start out withThis Perfect Worldand work their way forward.--Bill Forman