Joe Russo has a had a wide and varied career working with members of the Grateful Dead, Phish, The Hold Steady and Ween, as well as many successful recordings/tours as half of the Benevento/Russo duo and leading his own successful outfit Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, however, Russo has never released a solo record until phér•bŏney. The surprise digital release in 2019 now gets a vinyl upgrade from Royal Potato Family with exquisite cover art from a Baptiste Ibar painting.
Known as a propulsive and deft drummer, Russo has branched out to work with guitars, pianos and digital production while also inviting a host of friends on board to contribute to this musical journey. Excellent opener “phér•bŏney Love Theme” is an exhilarating blast of free-ranging, ominous funky jazz, in a Medeski Martin & Wood vein, before bubbling over with squawking saxophone work from Erik Lawrence.
“Can’t Wink” uses hand claps, whistling, organic/digital percussion loops, rising textures and cinematic scope to capture a vibrant picturesque mood, all helped along by Robbie Mangano’s baritone guitar and synth bass work. The world of film is never far from Russo’s thoughts as “Elf/Man” is a tribute to Danny Elfman himself, using his otherworldly inspired bumps, vibes and twitches before an electroshock therapy ending that Tim Burton would be proud of.
The gorgeous dance laden electro-pop of “Molly and Anni” is a shining high point on the record. The Talking Heads influenced instrumental grooves with a smile radiating from Russo’s drumming, as the added warm sax work from Stuart Bogie and Mangano’s joyous acoustic/electric/baritone guitar lines prove exhilarating. “Perfectabilitarians” is the most adventurous of the efforts here, acoustic bass, random percussion and weaving vocals injected as an added layer of sound all intermingle before a loud guitar finale.
A reoccurring theme is Russo’s distorted vocals, which can take away from the songs when they are deployed. Whether he isn’t fully confident in his singing ability or is going for vocals as simply another instrument to be toyed with, the syrup laden effect on a cover of Antônio Carlos Jobim’s “Waters of March” and the echo warbling of a Beatles sounding ballad “Wild” distort his singing to the point of distraction.
“You’re So Delicate” also falls flat with digital pulses and chimes resulting in a restrained dull offering compared to others on phér•bŏney, but the record wraps up on a much better note as closer “Wow!Signal” recalls the opening tunes free jazz while drums slap, leading the way for Bogie’s saxophone work and Josh Kafman’s guitar/bass plucking, culminating in a full-on soaring finale.
Russo successfully dives into his desires, ranging from cinematic soundtrack ready offerings, to funky free jazz, to electro minimalism and indie-pop balladry. phér•bŏney increases Russo’s scope and vision, expanding an already robust and diverse career.
Live photo courtesy of Andy J. Gordon ©2020.
