March 17, 2007
"Please, talk amongst youselves in the pews," said Tom Morello after he wandered out for his solo acoustic set at Central Presbyterian Church.
He has a deep speaking voice that projects well ... the question is if the former guitarist for Audioslave and Rage Against the Machine can project as well with just a small nylon-string acoustic. The guy doesn't even have a guitar tech anymore, fer cryin' out loud.
The answer? Partly. Don't look now, but Mr. Morello is now an Americana artist. His singing voice comes close to Steve Earle, with a little more breathiness and baritone, and a little less accuracy. His songs' lyrics rely on cliche too much, but they weave righteous tales about doing right, thinking proper and relating to the working class.
Considering his prowess on guitar, he keeps riffing simple and unadorned in this guise. He allows his words and excitable enunciations rock instead.
"I am the Nightwatchman," he declared at his set's beginning. Indeed he is; this material is several genres away from anything he's done before. Be intrigued, but only mildly surprised: the album, "One-Man Revolution," drops on April 24.
Posted by Mike Daniel 
at 10:30 PM (E-mail this entry)
