Another NJ Musical Native with the Esteemed “Tallent” & An Accomplished Career
One day when they discuss famous people who were artists from Rutherford, New Jersey they will rub their chins and say Pulitzer Prize winning poet William Carlos Williams, the B-52’s Kate Pierson (born in Weehawken, NJ but raised in Rutherford) and some guy named Bob Delevante – and why is Bob mentioned?
Any musician who can command the talents of The E Street Band’s Garry Tallent, a high marks quote from singer-songwriter Buddy Miller, and the Mavericks’ Robert Reynolds – must be doing something exciting…right? Well, there’s eleven tracks that can substantiate this claim. Songs that fill this New Jersey artist’s distinguished album – “Valley of Days,” — a carefully constructed roots album that touches upon everything from standard singer-songwriter fare, old fashioned smoking rock & roll and because Delevante lived for a spell also in Hoboken – some Hoboken pop melodic tunes with that equally comfortable Mitch Easter produced sound — like Steve Wynn-Russ Tolman-type components, (Tolman’s “Marla Jane”) as well as, Bobby Suitliff’s “Same Way Tomorrow.” That aside, the fact is Bob also has added some ideal traditional roots tone to his New Jersey voice and it’s rich, it’s gutsy and – it’s both original and sincere.
Opening the album is “Kite on the Wind,” – with a genteel Marc Cohn-Greg Trooper type energy. The female backing vocals are polished to a high sheen and the song itself is nothing special except that it’s a delightful listen. Nice one-two beat that drives and Bob’s somewhat early John Prine delivery. The man has both feet firmly planted on the ground of folk song mud — with all its stones, twigs, rich brown earthy essentials from which great music always sprouts. “I Keep It All Back There with You,” starts low and silent. It has a style reminiscent of the old English folk-progressive band Strawbs and its singer-songwriter-leader Dave Cousins. Strawbs produced songs like “I Only Want My Love to Grow in You,” “I’ll Carry On Beside You,” & “Afraid to Let You Go.” This is what I hear in Bob’s shimmering emotive, yet not over cooked performance.
A glistening rocker starts with “Downtown Tonight,” and it smokes. If country music is going to get rowdy and raw this is what it should sound like. Torn from the songbook of Steve Earle, T-Bone Burnett, John Fogerty (Creedence Clearwater Revival) with a twang of Duane Eddy guitar – it’s fun, fun, fun. Love it. I had to stop writing and get up to dance around my chair. This is great stuff from another capable and interesting Jersey boy.
More country-inflected is “Caroline,” and Delevante manages to switch vocal tone to a more Nashville fabric. Lyrically it has a Chuck Berry style but musically I hear the threads of sarcasm that composer Randy Newman or the late singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson would inject. Now, having said that, even a little liberal sprinkling of John Prine would be in the recipe. But the song is all Bob – the vocals are distinctive – and that’s the trick. He doesn’t sound much like anyone here – he has a strong presence. Nashville strained through a New Jersey colander. I must add, that when I mentioned Russ Tolman – his “Marla Jane,” would be the perfect song to segue into after “Caroline.”
Color Photo #1: Bob with Buddy Miller (L) and Jim Lauderdale (2nd from R) / Photo courtesy of Bob’s website
“Farther Find Me Now,” is pensive, and a very well written song. Nice touch with the harmonica and the chime lead guitars: delicious. The addition of the female vocalists makes the song a more sensitive listen. Bob’s vocals are in the tradition of singer-songwriter Buddy Miller-Jon Dee Graham, but perhaps, not as rustic and raw. This is a tastefully performed novella type lyric. It smolders, simmers, leaves a charming ambience in the room even after it’s played.
“An Old Picture of You” – this track is not from “Valley of Days” — videos for the new LP were not available at press time.
Garry Tallent of the E-Street Band lends some booming assistance on bass, Amanda Shires lends her fine vocals and fiddle, Fats Kaplin displays his fiddle and pedal steel, Bryan Ownings makes the necessary noise on drums and percussion and Dave Coleman puts them all together with his guitars, pedal steel and production. Delevante himself – escapes unscathed with guitar, ukulele, harmonica and co-produced the album.
“See You in the Morning,” — a Byrds-like guitar oriented tune that is also nothing special, but that’s what makes it so, leaves a wonderful feeling in your ears. It doesn’t tug on your ear lobe, it tickles it. It has the same charm as another morning song – “In the Morning,” written by the Gibbs brothers (Bee Gees) decades ago, but rendered beautifully by Jennifer Warnes when she was known simply as Jennifer. The sound on Bob’s track is crystalline – clear and well produced. It gives modern day folk type songs a new respectability. The disciplined female backup vocals enrich the beauty as the guitar soars throughout the melody, and never challenges Bob’s voice.
Banjo plucks (Josh Brand), fiddle (Preston Schmidt), mandolin (Scott Simontacchi) and Bob’s acoustic guitar open “Hey, Hey Hold On (Valley of Days)” – which is far closer to a more traditional mountain folk song. This is actually what Strawbs sounded like in the early days when they were known as The Strawberry Hill Boys. This is foot stomping music — it has some strains as well, of the classic Goose Creek Symphony band in its presentation. It’s all a marvel that a New Jersey singer-songwriter has been able to absorb this kind of influence and send it back into the world so proficiently. All the songs, with a little assistance at times, were written by Bob Delevante and this song sounds like it may have been two hundred years old. But it’s not. It just has that kind of blood in its notes.
Another intense stylistic ballad is “(Can You Tell Me That) You Love Me Too,” — head and shoulders above anything I hear on the radio today that passes as a ballad. The cliche quotient is low in the lyrics. The raw guitars are heart-wrenching, Bob’s vocals are sensitive, well-paced and the lyrics slide from his throat with a crunching poignant delivery.
If Frank Sinatra or Elvis Presley were alive today what a monster hit this would be for them. This is a great song because it would appeal to a singer anywhere between Sinatra and Presley. A country singer like the late Jim Reeves would also be a great choice. Masterful. It has all the nuances necessary to suggest a wonderful composition. The arrangement is on target and it ends just in time to want to start it up again.
“Stones River,” rings of old-world country with a tinge of Neil Young backwoods sting. This could have been on Neil’s “Harvest,” “Harvest Moon,” or “Old Ways,” albums. “Tomorrow We Go Again,” is sung in a more Townes Van Zandt folky style. It has a cool aura of that kind of songwriting genre. Bob seems to straddle so many wonderful genres and styles, but I must emphasize that he capably wraps it all up in his own distinct style. Another New Jersey singer-songwriter reminiscent of this hard-harmonica bluesy approach (Bob plays the harmonica on this) and that’s Billy Falcon. Falcon’s voice is close to Bob’s – sample Falcon’s (on YouTube) masterful “Heaven’s Highest Hill.”
This is a well-thought out collection — no two songs are hinged on another. They are all stand-alone tokens of a great storyteller.
Closing out the album is a typical Jersey pastime – a Springsteen-type driving song with a radiating reminiscing pull. “The Girl Who Shines Down On Me,” – with its glimmering Fats Kaplin fiddle. While I mention Springsteen the tradition of the song is more Billy Falcon. Falcon can be far more concentrated in his touching ballads with bursts of beautiful melody married to the heat of the words. That’s where Bob shines. Bob Delevante is quite successful in his own way and this an album of songs that can be immediately appreciated. I wouldn’t change a thing.
The album art is a creative six-panel full color image of a carousel with lyrics printed throughout the inside spread (for people who can see words that small). Designed by Relay Station. The album was produced by Bob Delevante & Dave Coleman. Recorded in Nashville where Bob resides now. I guess he doesn’t need the Giants’ Stadium Saturday flea market as much as I do or a quick visit to the Bendix Diner on Route 17 North. (Just kidding, Bob). Yeah…I’ve been to Rutherford many times. Beautiful old town, incorporated in 1881. (I also had in my collection Bob’s earlier “Porchlight,” CD from several years ago).
Website: http://www.bobdelevante.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bob.delevante
Music Samples: http://www.bobdelevante.com/music/journal/
Soundcloud: http://www.bobdelevante.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/BJshow.jpg
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this review / commentary are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of No Depression. All photography is owned by the respective photographers and is their copyrighted image; credited where photographer’s name was known & being used here solely as reference and will be removed on request. YouTube images are standard YouTube license.
John Apice / No Depression / September 2016