Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Bridges, Jeff
Label: Blue Note Records
Release: 2011
Running time: 40:11
Rating: 3.5/5
Jeffrey Leon “Jeff” Bridges made his name as that cult American actor who’s equally at home playing the good guys and the bad guys. Which film buff could have missed his outstanding contribution to hits like True Grit, Tron, Fisher King, Iron Man, The Last Picture Show, Starman, Against All Odds, The Big Lebowski and Crazy Heart, to name just a few? What’s less well known is that lately, when he’s not in front of the movie cameras, Mr. Bridges also dabbles in music, specifically as a country and folk rock singer. His relatively late discovery of his musical streak and the release of his second, self-titled studio album were reportedly driven largely by his role as a down-on-his-luck country singer in Crazy Heart. Even though it’s a self-titled album, it’s actually his second studio effort after “Be Here Soon” from 2000.
Jeff has a pleasantly rumbling voice that fits nicely with his cowboy-flavored musical vocabulary. Despite posing with an electric guitar on the album cover, he appears on the record strictly as a vocalist, while he’s backed on acoustic and electric guitar by T Bone Burnett, who also proved himself in the producer’s chair, and Jackson Smith. What keeps the album from sticking to overly predictable, generic country notes is mostly Russ Pahl on pedal steel and Keefus Ciancia on keys. On backing vocals, Jeff gets some very welcome female help from Sam Phillips, as well as a hand from freshly minted country talent Benji Hughes.
Luckily, Jeff decided not to bring in a harmonica or try any Bob Dylan imitation, which has become a pretty dominant, painfully predictable trend in this kind of American music. Apart from a few rare upbeat moments, it’s a distinctly melancholic record, one where it’s not hard to picture Jeff playing with a band in some smoky cowboy saloon. It’s also worth mentioning that most of the songs were written by other people, but it’s on the most interesting tracks that he shines as a songwriter in his own right.
Mr. Bridges has often had a habit of switching sides in the same film in unpredictable ways. You could describe the sound of his second studio effort in much the same way: a mix of country traditionalism, the kind that goes down well with the lion’s share of Midwestern hicks, and on the other side, the more adventurous influence of folk rock and blues rock in a modern guise. The weakest tracks on it are “Everything But Love” and the opening single “What a Little Bit of Love Can Do”, which is the most traditional country number and also by far the most commercially minded thing here, since Bridges’ voice is in no way suited to delivering any kind of syrupy love lyrics. So when he steers clear of every form of classic American schmaltz, he’s at his most effective. He’s much better off with a less bouncy, more melancholic acoustic backing, when more serious, lyrical themes take over, like on “Falling Short”, “Tumbling Vine” and “Slow Boat”, which in places feature short solo and ethereal instrumental sections.
With a seriously solid second album, Jeff Bridges proves that on top of his acting talent, he’s got a real musical streak in him. In his case, the old saying that it’s never too late for anything has been confirmed in a surprisingly positive way. He’s cashed in well on his singing talent, which is bigger than that of many a Hollywood compatriot of his generation who has tried the double act of acting and singing so far, with the help of a decent crew of musicians who all know their instruments inside out, though of course nobody should expect him to give up his film career for his new hobby. The dose of generic is a bit too big for him to really stand out in a sea of artists with a similar musical vocabulary, but regardless, especially for everyone who swears by country and folk rock, it’ll be interesting to follow his singing journey from here on.
Lineup
Jeff Bridges – vocals
Keefus Garcia – keyboards
T Bone Burnett – acoustic guitar
Jackson Smith – electric guitar
Russ Pahl – pedal steel
Dennis Crouch – bass guitar
Jay Bellerose – drums
Benji Hughes – backing vocals
Sam Phillips – backing vocals
Production
T-Bone Burnett
Tracklist
1. What A Little Bit Of Love Can Do
2. Falling Short
3. Everything But Love
4. Tumbling Vine
5. Nothing Yet
6. Blue Car
7. Maybe I Missed The Point
8. Slow Boat
9. Either Way
10. The Quest
