Madman

by Sean Rowe

Overview

On his previous work, the booming baritone of singer/songwriter Sean Rowe had naturally made a home for itself on the darker side of the alt-folk world, imbuing his songs with a brooding rumble that set him miles apart from any of his contemporaries. On his fourth album, Madman, Rowe decides to let a little sunshine in, brightening up his sound with elements of joyful pop that cast the singer in a whole new light. While the album still has the requisite nods to Tom Waits with the ramshackle syncopation of "Looking for the Master," and Leonard Cohen on the gently rapturous "It Won't Be Long," the most interesting moments come when Rowe decides to let his fun side out. "Desiree" feels like his interpretation of the Motown revival, as he delivers a song with a soulful, summery bounce reminiscent of the nostalgic R&B sound of the late Amy Winehouse. With its bright horns and xylophones, the album's titular opener, "Madman," has a new kind of levity about it, providing the album with a light start that shows off Rowe's playfulness as a songwriter. While it's nice to see Rowe explore more, all the stylistic gymnastics leave Madman feeling, at times, a bit disjointed. Despite this, the album is easily the singer's most accessible and eclectic record to date, so although it might struggle to find consistency, hearing Sean Rowe step outside of the folk paradigm and into so many different styles offers fans of the singer and his singular voice plenty to love. ~ Gregory Heaney

Product Details

Release Date:	09/09/2014
Label:	Anti-
UPC:	0045778732425
Rank:	171249

Tracks

1. Madman
2. Shine My Diamond Ring
3. Desiree
4. The Game
5. The Drive
6. Spiritual Leather
7. Done Calling You
8. The Real Thing
9. Razor of Love
10. My Little Man
11. Looking for the Master
12. It Won't Be Long

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Sean Rowe   Primary Artist,Bass,Piano,Guitar,Shaker,Vocals,Glockenspiel,Handclapping,Fender Rhodes,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
Ben Campbell   Bass (Upright),Bass,Bowed Bass
Ari Picker   Strings
Sarah Pedinotti   Piano,Vocals (Background)
Jeff Nania   Sax (Baritone)
Cara May Corman   Vocals (Background)
Chris Weatherly   Trumpet,French Horn
Jimmy Affatigato   Clarinet
Mikaela Davis   Harp
Rex Hussmann   Gyil,Piano,Accordion
Chris Carey   Drums,Organ,Piano,Wurlitzer,Percussion,Tambourine,Glockenspiel,Handclapping,Farfisa Organ,Prepared Piano,Bass
Chris Kyle   Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
Troy Pohl   Bass,Casio,Keyboards,Guitar (Baritone),Guitar (Electric)
Kesang Marstrand   Vocals (Background)

Technical Credits

Chris Kyle   Composer
Sean Rowe   Composer,Producer
Troy Pohl   Mixing,Engineer,Producer
Howie Weinberg   Mastering