Joseph Arthur - Nuclear Daydream

I got hold of Arthur after Peter Gabriel discovered him in the mid-‘90s. So I listened intently to his early albums and they were good, just like Gabriel said they were. Starting with Gabriel’s Real World Label, he toured extensively, came out with an EP, then Virgin Records’ Come to Where I’m From, and then Redemption’s Son, where he hit his stride and created perhaps his most popular tune, “Honey and the Moon.” Our Shadows Remain the Same came out in ’04 and now, with Nuclear Daydream, on his newly-minted Lonely Astronaut label, he continues his musical successes. It is not his best album it, but nevertheless, is worth a listen for the somber slow-moving numbers, “Don’t Give Up on People,” for instance, and the title song. They present Arthur at his finest. Other songs he tries to sing falsetto and it fails. Unfortunately, you listen to a couple good songs, then hit a bump in the road with a bad one and, therefore, ruins the cohesion of the album as a whole. The album can get a hold on you though and after each playing, the listener discovers something new. [www.josepharthur.com]