Meet John Doe – 1990
When it comes to rock music of any stripe, “honest” and “raw” tend to be vastly overused words, but they may just apply to John Doe’s solo debut on the DGC label (spun off from Geffen).
This was always something of a trademark with Doe’s former band, X, in some respects but there was always the whirlwind of Exene Cervenka carrying most of the weight of the vocals, and the frontline immediate image, while Doe was seemingly as anonymous as his name, always just slightly back in the shadows. Now he’s out front, and the impact is quite immediate, with a blaze of Texas-styled rhythm guitar Meet John Doe roars into action, and a gorgeously weathered voice that’s a sheer delight to listen to, even though the thrust of the song is, essentially, love and anger: “Let’s Be Mad.”
Between in the performance and in the song, there’s a quite deliberate irony, and one can sometimes hear an undercurrent of bitter laughter in it all. It is unpretentious while the band backing Doe up, to say the least, two guitarists, bass, and drums, with visits from organ and piano here and there, and scatterings of backing vocals. To deliberately go after a certain style, there’s no effort though; this all has the way the best albums often do, the feeling of falling together naturally. Get a bunch of guys into the studio and let the music find its own direction.
Doe is to be commended for this. He could as easily have utterly cloned X, which with a solid holding pattern would have provided him but nothing more. Pervading the selection of songs, there’s a sadness though, but it’s not depressing; instead, it’s more like the earmark of some of the best country material, and the album’s theme of personal expression could as easily been seen as an act of personal therapy; a cleansing of the system.
“My Offering,” as the final track, admits to a universal truth as the narrator, exhausted in an Atlanta hotel room, admits how much turns out badly, sees how people comes to understand that he can do nothing to stop it, can be hurtful and yet still has something to offer to someone, despite it all. Many of the lyrics here carry a breathtaking force and verge on raw poetry, partly because of the way they’re delivered. Doe’s worn voice is one of his greatest assets; the expansive sound of his music fits right in with that. All told, an excellent solo debut.
by Steven McDonald
Album Track:
1 Let’s Be Mad Doe 3:42
2 A Matter of Degrees Doe, Graham 4:32
3 Dyin’ to Get Home Doe 3:44
4 It’s Only Love Cochran 3:20
5 The Real One Hiatt 4:11
6 Take #52 Cervenka, Doe 4:30
7 Worldwide Brotherhood Doe, Donavan, Graham, Lloyd … 4:08
8 With Someone Like You Doe 4:16
9 By the Light Doe 2:53
10 Knockin’ Around Hornsby 3:22
11 Touch Me, Baby Doe 3:29
12 My Offering
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Related Info: by the light lyrics john doe (1), Matter of Degrees meet john doe video (1)
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