{"id":39703,"date":"2006-04-04T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2006-04-04T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/reviews\/northey-valenzuela\/"},"modified":"2006-04-04T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2006-04-04T00:00:00","slug":"northey-valenzuela","status":"publish","type":"review","link":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/reviews\/northey-valenzuela\/","title":{"rendered":"Northey Valenzuela"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

Bruce Springsteen — who has been asked to analyze
\nhis own work as often as just about anyone in the modern era — has
\nmore than once compared talking about music to talking about sex,
\nsuggesting that both are “better when demonstrated.”<\/p>\n

The Boss’s apt analogy comes to mind when trying to
\ndescribe Northey Valenzuela, an odd-couple side-project pairing of
\ntwo singer-songwriters with diverse backgrounds but similar musical
\ninterests. Northey, of Vancouver’s underground darlings the Odds,
\nis a red-headed Canuck with a flair for witty, loose-limbed
\nstory-songs. Valenzuela, of Arizona’s star-crossed Gin Blossoms, is
\na Mexican American with a perpetual twinkle in his eye whose
\npolished songcraft has caught the ear of admiring artists from
\nNashville to the West Coast. What the two share most is an
\naffection — and a facility — for intelligent, melodic,
\nguitar-driven rock and roll.<\/p>\n

Valenzuela and Northey’s paths-crossing moment came
\nwhen both were playing guitar and singing harmony for bands seeking
\nfame and fortune in LA. The Odds and the Blossoms hung in the same
\nbars, played on the same bills and crashed on the same floors more
\nthan once back in the day. A decade and a half later, the pair have
\nhooked up for an album on which they trade songs and lead and
\nharmony vocals like a NAFTA-ized version of the BoDeans, filling
\nthe air with jangly roots-rock with the bubbly start and smooth
\nfinish of professional musicians cutting loose and having a good
\ntime.<\/p>\n

So what sets this album apart?<\/p>\n

Maybe it’s the way Northey and Valenzuela seamlessly
\nslide between lead and supporting roles song by song. Northey has
\nmore of a pop\/rock voice, where Valenzuela’s is softer and smokier,
\nbut both give their phrasing a slightly wise-and-weary, lived-in
\nfeel, and the shift from one to other singing lead is barely
\nnoticeable.<\/p>\n

Or maybe it’s the way the pair’s tongue-in-cheek
\nhumor keeps shining through. Early on, the chorus to Valenzuela’s
\nsteady-rocking first offering “Counting On You” goes “I’m countin’
\non you \/ I’m countin’ on you \/ I’m countin’ on you \/ To do me
\nwrong.” “Let It Go” offers another nice twist as Northey croons
\nover a faux Motown base “You’ve gotta be cruel to be kind, come on,
\nlead on \/ We’ll both feel better when one of us is gone.” The
\nlaconic “Halfway To Happy” is another treat full of zingers.<\/p>\n

Or maybe it’s how effortless this album feels. Track
\nafter track, the pair find an apt turn of phrase and a sturdy hook
\nto hang it on. Cuts like “Halfway To Happy” and “Borrowing Trouble”
\ndisplay a quiet mastery of songwriting and a pure enjoyment of that
\nmastery. It’s all so low-key and friendly in tone you almost miss
\nthe craft behind it — but it’s there, in spades.<\/p>\n

That said, this still feels like one of those albums
\nthat bolsters Springsteen’s argument. I could talk about it all
\nnight long and it wouldn’t have half the effect of simply popping
\nthe disc in your player and settling into these rich, easy
\ngrooves.<\/p>\n

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