Posted on: January 10, 2017 Posted by: John B. Moore Comments: 0
Aaron Lee Tasjan – Silver Tears (CD)

Aaron Lee Tasjan may be prolific, but he is anything but easy to categorize. He’s played guitar with the New York Dolls and Drivin N’ Cryin, started his own Glam Indie rock band and can still manage to pay homage to some of the great acoustic singer/songwriters of the ‘70s on his solo efforts. His latest, “Silver Tears,” tips a hat to everyone from Harry Nilsson to John Prine, in a collection that vacillates between tear jerkers (“Ready to Die”) and barnburners (“Dime”).

The record, his first for New West, starts off with the very Nilsson-esque “Hard Life,” but the influences are pretty-varied after that and satisfyingly eclectic that. One of the highlights is also one of his quieter songs, the almost whispered “On Your Side.”

Playing less like a standard album and more like an iPod on shuffle, scanning through a slew of different genres from folk and Americana to dusty rock and a little New Orleans-infused funk spread across a dozen tracks, “Silver Tears” is a modern-day jukebox of great taste and inspired influences.

Aaron Lee Tasjan – Silver Tears/12 tracks/New West/2016 / http://www.aaronleetasjan.com/

 

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