Edwin McCain
Lost In America
Vanguard Records
Edwin McCain must be one of the most consistent and hard-working singer/songwriters in America. If he’s not touring, he’s writing or recording new material, maintaining a phenomenal level of quality with each new record. Lost In America, McCain’s seventh album, comes hot on the heels of the concert DVD Live at the House of Blues and previous studio effort, Scream and Whisper, and it’s as good as anything he has released in the past.
Fans will be glad to know that a change of label (from DRT to Vanguard) has not resulted in a sudden shift of style from the blue collar acoustic-based rock they have come to expect – indeed, the excellent opener, “Gramercy Park Hotel,” a typically melodic rocker, first featured on the aforementioned live DVD along with “My Mystery.”
“Black and Blue” continues in a similar vein, while “Lost In America” echoes the critique-of-society theme that has coloured previous material, such as “Beautiful Life.” The trio of “Babylon,” “Welcome To Struggleville” and “Bitter and Twisted” are perhaps more punchy and heavy than anything McCain has previously recorded; but the soulful ballad “Losing Tonight” is a typically delicate, personal song.
The only complaint is that at only ten tracks, this is shorter than the average Edwin McCain record. But you can bet the Atlanta native will be back in the studio again fairly soon to record and release more material to compensate.
Edwin McCain: http://www.edwin.com
