Todd Mack I’m Gonna Love You No Matter What
With a professional career that began in 1989, this is singer-songwriter Todd’s 8th album after a 14-year absence. The 11 original tunes on I’m Gonna Love You No Matter What (Drops May 29/Mad w/Music/44:10) were produced by Todd Mack (lead vocals/acoustic guitar) & Rob Vermeulen (mandolin/bass/keys/acoustic & electric guitars/bgv) with the main performances recorded in Morro Bay, CA & additional recording in Brooklyn, NY, Memphis, TN, Atlanta, GA & in the Berkshires.
Todd has a warm, distinctive voice with a lyrical approach that’s basic, but with a style that brings the words to the surface & illuminates them. “Angel Above” opens with Todd’s assertive vocal & a darkly sawing fiddle that captures it atmospherically. There’s definitely a signature sound to Mr. Mack & his songwriting prowess is well-shaped right from the start. It’s not bright, like pop music, but textured. His voice suits the words & melodies of his repertoire. “On a Line” isn’t caustic, but Todd has an indulging Warren Zevon ballad bite that’s impressive. The guitars have authority as they wind through with fuzz & a steady plodding beat. Captivating.
The music Todd creates fills a void left by the late singer-songwriters like Zevon, the Americana version of Robert Hazard, Chris Rea, Jackie Leven & even John Prine. The melodies are strong; their storytelling depth is supported with a warm allure of fascinating playing by his musicians. Despite its slowness, “Dreams” is ethereal with ideal backup in a well-arranged piece.
Todd keeps his song titles simple, but don’t be fooled by the power of his words & music. “No More” starts relatively simple, but when Sadie Jasper begins to sing her lead vocal, it’s fireworks. Together, this isn’t just a song; it’s musical artistry. It’s superb work. Todd & Sadie should do an entire album together; there’s alchemy here. Any song that provokes me to listen to more than 3 times in a row is igniting.
There are no missteps in this showcase. It’s pristinely recorded & the efforts of all the musicians are admirable. But Todd did give them some great material to work on, get into & that’s half the battle. “Ain’t Enough” is simply lovely. The rockiest effort is “Reckless,” with its dueling guitars, snapping drums & unified vocals.
One of the year’s best albums. Oh, yeah. Songs like this tickle the ears long after they’ve played.
Highlights – “Angel Above,” “On a Line,” “Dreams,” “No More,” “Ain’t Enough,” “River Carry Me,” “Reckless” & “If I.”
Musicians – Lee Ann Vermeulen-Roberts (accordion/keys), Alice Hasen & Hannah Lynn Cohen (fiddle), Katherine Winston, Cassi Nicholls, Cynthia Ford, Sadie Jasper & Jeff Berg (bgv), Daryl Vandruff, Conner Martin, Brian Kantor & Jason Schultheis (drums), Rob Sanzone & Krishna Guthrie (electric guitars), Miles Lally (bass) & Chris Merenda (banjo/bgv/spoken word).
B&W image courtesy of Todd Mack PR. CD @ Apple & https://toddmack.net/