Oh good, another white male singer/songwriter in his
mid-20s who sings about relationships. At least, that’s what I
thought when I received JJ Appleton’s second disc, this one
recorded in New York (instead of L.A.). What could Appleton have to
say that John Mayer and Sting haven’t already said before?
Not much, really, but at least Appleton is diverse in
his tastes. The opener “Anyone” is a Fountains Of Wayne-esque song,
while “The More Things Change” has a surprising amount of grit in
the Black Crowes-esque riff, as well as a good solo. “We Always Say
Goodbye” would have fit nicely on mid-90s rock radio right next to
the Cranberries and Tom Petty, while “Someone Else’s Problem” is
lyrically biting but musically average, a bit like a Steve Miller
song with an ex-girlfriend rant theme.
But not everything works. “Because I Do” tries to be
meaningful but comes off as a second-rate Train rewrite, while “I
Mean Well” is decent but uncomfortably close to Tom Petty, who
Appleton is a dead singer for. (He is a dead ringer for Ben
Affleck, so I had to alter the cliché. Sorry…) And
“Picture This” just sounds like Appleton is trying too hard (in the
press release, he says he is trying to write a George Harrison
song. I don’t hear it…)
“Still Think About You” is derivative of all those
pop-punk clones like Good Charlotte, only without the annoying
high-pitched singer, but it’s redeemed by “If I Can’t Have You,”
which is the best Rolling Stones song I’ve heard in a while — and
if the album had been more like this, it would have been more
successful. “There Is No Pill” has a good message about America’s
dependency on medication, with some good cello work to boot, but it
goes on a bit too long.
JJ Appleton is obviously talented, although his
lyrics need a bit of work, but musically he fails to find his own
voice. His influences are diverse and his heart is in the right
place, but Uphill To Purgatory is just like its title —
neither excellent nor terrible, it floats in limbo right in the
middle.
