Richard McGraw – Burying The Dead (Music Review)
By Andrew Duncan • May 4th, 2010 • Category: Categories, Country/Bluegrass, ReviewsRichard McGraw
Burying The Dead
Non-Utopian Records
Rating: 2.5 out of 5
Links: http://www.myspace.com/richardmcgraw
Slinging slow-motion ballads and mediocre alt-country romps like a persimmon in the hot summer sun, Richard McGraw spins stories with songwriting that is promising, but the album does not deliver.
“Hurting Heart” is an indie pulpit sermon on a relationship gone bad, turning McGraw into the aging-punk-with-an-acoustic syndrome when he should be sounding like he does on “Asheville.” But even there, the song prolongs a conclusive satisfaction by being repetitious.
And it is not that he is a fine musician, “Young Men” proves his folk roots run deep, and it is where he shines best, but a song like this is hard to find on Burying The Dead. Instead we get something like “I’m Cool” and an attempt to sound vocally estranged to his song like an alcoholic is to its bottle.
The cover version of “My Life” does nothing to help out the situation, especially with the celestial accents. It’s something you would expect to hear in a back alley craft store in Branson or any given Cracker Barrel.
As easy as it is to listen to McGraw’s songs, spinning them around at random, it’s hard to find many that stick with you long enough to stand out and give you the allure of wanting to hold on to much from this album. And no matter how pleasing and fancy the physical outer package presents, it’s not enough to justify what is inside.
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Andrew Duncan is a journalist who has migrated to the forces of academia. He has written for various publications including Chord, Heckler, Readyset...Aesthetic, and a vast array of alternative press contributions. When not roaming the streets of Indianapolis, he is either addicted to KXCI, making music, or striving to watch every film listed on IMDB.
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