little songs review #4

POP CULTURE PRESS, LITTLE SONGS REVIEW

Author: Michael Toland
Source: Pop Culture Press
URL: www.popculturepress.com/reviews19991028/DUsher.html
Date: October 28, 1999

DAVID USHER
Little Songs (Nettwerk)

Usher's day job is as lead singer of Canadian arena band Moist, who are huge up north but nowheresville in the States. That's my way of explaining that I haven't a clue what Moist is like, so I've no idea how this compares to his band. Not that it matters-even if Moist's usual product stunk up all of Montreal I'd still love this. A combination of acoustic guitar hooks, groovy loops, hushed vocals and insistent beats, the sound of this record is akin to reading the songwriter's thoughts while keeping an eye on the TV at the same time. Usher seems rather melancholy here, but for such late-nite fare that's perfectly apt; images of spiritual icons and urban decay float in and out of his dramatic lyrics like hungry ghosts, and he sometimes sounds desperate to appease them. Obviously, this isn't any kind of party album, but for those days when the emptiness of your bank account and your bed put you in a state of near-despair it's nice to know there's someone with whom you can commiserate.