After a hot 2001 debut, Pete Yorn slumped on his second album and snoozed through his third. With help from Rick Rubin and Bright Eyes producer Mike Mogis, Yorn has found his voice on Back and Fourth, a mostly acoustic beauty recorded in Omaha, Nebraska, with musicians heard on Conor Oberst's Saddle Creek label. Mandolins flutter over Yorn's rasp on the delicate "Don't Wanna Cry," and a Byrds-like chime kick-starts "Country." The lyrics have more depth and sting. In the bossa nova-flavored "Paradise Cove" he lashes out at a lover, "When you talk, it makes me cringe/You want so bad to have meaning, but you're empty and draining." That's not a problem for Yorn this time.

Share

• Email
• Stumble
• AIM
• Del.icio.us
• DiggThis
• Fark It!

MARK KEMP

(Posted: Jun 22, 2009)