JUST OUT / MUSIC
Brian Wilson: ‘That Lucky Old Sun’
California warmth shines through
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
POP
“That Lucky Old Sun”
Brian Wilson. Capitol/EMI. 17 tracks.
Grade: B
Any time Brian Wilson delivers a new album, there’s legitimate cause for celebration. The songwriter has come back so far from the depths of depression and addiction after it once seemed we would never again hear from that extraordinarily creative soul.
Some of the songs have a retro feel, bringing an enjoyable splash of California fun to ‘That Lucky Old Sun.’
Matt Sayles/AP
Brian Wilson’s voice is not what it once was, but his new album is hard to resist as he crafts new music within an old framework.
In 2004, Wilson stunned the musical world by finally completing his lost masterpiece “Smile.” It was vibrant, musically complex, accessible but deeply sophisticated. It was also one of the best albums of the year, except that year just happened to be four decades behind the scheduled release date.
Trying to top that, or even come near matching it, now is a simply impossible task, even for a genius. But Wilson deserves credit for trying, crafting new music within an old framework that is enjoyable if not as artistically spellbinding as his previous accomplishments.
That in a nutshell is what we have with “That Lucky Old Sun,” a completely enjoyable splash of California fun, draped in sunshine harmonies, colorful arrangements and the occasional odd narrative courtesy of longtime Wilson collaborator Van Dyke Parks.
Wilson views this as his follow-up to “Pet Sounds,” and “Smile,” but it’s tough to put it in such a lofty category. He premiered it in Europe last year and has been playing small bits of it on this year’s summer tour of the United States.
After the premiere, “That Lucky Old Sun” received some gushing praise from some members of the European media. And on first listen, all the elements of the songwriter’s classic works can be found here: the lush arrangements, distinctive harmonies and the sense of eternal innocence that flows through the lyrics of songs such as “Forever She’ll Be My Surfer Girl.”
But there’s also a sense of forced retro-writing, like on the well-orchestrated yet ultimately thin “Oxygen to the Brain,” “Morning Beat” and a few others, while Parks’ relatively brief spoken-word contributions — narrated by Wilson — fail to fit as well with the music as they did when they seemed groundbreaking decades ago.
Still, there’s plenty to like about the album. Wilson’s voice is not what it once was, but cuts like the lovely “Midnight’s Another Day” are well suited to the more limited range. And for every letdown like “Mexican Girl,” there’s a song such as “California Role,” which may have retro echoes, but it’s still impossible to resist.
“That Lucky Old Sun” is more than a footnote on Wilson’s fascinating career.
— Kevin O’Hare, Newhouse News Service
