This decade is nearly in the books, but it has more
gems to share. The most recent addition to any listener’s “best of” lists for
the second decade of the 21st century should include the fifth full
length release from Kansas City headquartered songwriter, vocalist, and
guitarist Sterling Witt. His new album Satyagraha debuts his latest
configuration, a power trio, and the format is ideal for the work’s thirteen songs. Melody isn’t in short supply here, everything Witt plays has a purpose
and a plan, but it’s equally obvious that Witt’s artistic vision for this album
stresses a live, “three on the floor” sound
as well as a minimum amount of excess or dross to divert listener’s
attention away from his always solid and occasionally quite exceptional lyrical
content. He has a definite personality as a vocalist as well – these songs are
well served from his laid back, laconic vocals, but he has a deceptively wide
range and is able to summon regret and rage with equal facility.
The first two songs of the album are devoted to
sharp and melodically gifted rockers that eschew much in the way of subtlety in
favor of getting over its message to the listener. “Perception Deception” and
“Love Me to Death” are likely slotted for their respective positions in the
track listing because much of Satyagraha plays like a live show – Witt clearly
wants to put his best foot forward kicking things off and two attention-grabbing
guitar workouts like this are guaranteed to garner attention. There’s a shift
that comes with the third song, “Who Do You Listen To?” that much more clearly
defines the album’s thematic ambitions. In Witt’s world everything is up for
examination and rightly so. “Who Do You Listen To?” confronts a world full of
misrepresentations without flinching and does so with crackling guitar work and
lyrics that never bite off any more than they, or the listeners, can chew.
“Make It” has more attitude than most songs on this
album and that’s saying something. Witt’s cynicism comes through, but it’s
difficult to find fault with his observations and the music frames his thoughts
in quite a bracing way. “Just So You Know” matches “Make It” in the attitude
department and gives Witt a chance to fully vent his spleen, but it’s never
artless. Instead, the go for broke abandon doesn’t denote a band and songwriter
mindlessly blasting away, but manifesting commitment in the most uncompromising
way possible while still strictly adhering to musical principles. The pensive
roll of “The Answer” is a welcome shift, however, because it reinforces the
aforementioned ideas while allowing the band a chance to show off their
diversity.
The album’s final peak, “I Love You More Everyday”,
is the album’s lead single and the choice couldn’t be better. It brings sharp
lyrical observations together with a little underplayed humor Witt’s vocal is
the vehicle for that humor and his wry, nicotine and whiskey voice has phrasing
skills that continuously surprise listeners throughout the release. Satyagraha
is the sort of album that reveals more and more with each additional listen and
forever buries the idea that there’s nothing particularly new in this genre/.
Artists like Sterling Witt, with a voice clearly their own, revitalize the form
with inspiration and conviction.
9 out of 10 stars
Aaron Ellis
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