Joseph Arthur

Big City Secrets
Joseph Arthur
62364 Real World

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Joseph came home in a good mood. Life seemed to be taking a positive turn. He turned on the lights and listened to his phone messages...."Hi, this is Peter Gabriel. I got your tape. You write really good songs. Let's talk."

BIG CITY SECRETS sits proudly within the great American singer/songwriter continuum, yet it's emotional and musical values broadcast on a fiercely contemporary frequency. Joseph's words are razor sharp and cut like the line drawings that deface his lyric sheets. Subtle, disarming grooves and deep, deep bass play a powerful supporting role musically, but the song is still king.

Planting himself behind the eyes of the characters that wander the streets of his lyrical vista, you begin to wonder what actually happened to Joseph Arthur on the journey that took him from Ohio to Georgia to London, England where he is currently based.

Growing up in Akron, the Ohio town that has spawned more than its fair share of misfits, Joseph's youth was marked by the familiar Midwestern merry-go-round of drink, drugs, cars and classic rock. Falling in with some older kids in high school, with whom he played "hippie-rock", Joseph eventually caught the music bug and moved to Atlanta, where he tried unsuccessfully to become a punk rocker. He gave up, becoming so frustrated with the punk scene that he started writing songs with open chords.

Which sort of brings us back to where we came in. Peter Gabriel had received Joseph's tape via a friend of a friend. Gabriel called him several times, suggesting he get himself over to the U.K. to do some recording and play the WOMAD festival. Joseph took the tape from his answering machine into his boss, asking for a leave of absence. His boss agreed, promising Joseph his job would still be there if he wanted it. So far, he hasn't needed it.

By this time Joseph had amassed an impressive collection of songs. Eager to start work on his debut album for Real World, he headed off to the U.K. where he recorded BIG CITY SECRETS with producer Marcus Dravs. Having quickly immersed himself in contemporary British music culture, the album reflects the excitement of a talented young American living abroad, finally bringing his dreams to life, because let's face it, when Peter Gabriel and Brian Eno sing background vocals on your debut album, you're bound to get the feeling you're doing something that demands to be heard.

European solo acoustic shows followed, prompting the French music magazine Les Inrockuptibles to remark..."Even though Joseph is inspired by rock and folk music, this album isn't either. BIG CITY SECRETS belongs only to Joseph Arthur. It contains sharp poetry, articulated by an acid voice. It is an isolated record, almost homeless. It's the result of a personal music education. Weird songs, very raw in the beginning, become embellished in the studio without losing their force."

It is precisely that rawness, when combined with dark humor, a direct, emotional delivery and an intriguing array of looped sounds, that accounts for Joseph's engaging edge. During his recent showcase tour of the States, he moved from disturbing baritone over a softly strummed guitar to manic falsetto within the space of the same song, drawing howls of delight from unsuspecting audiences.

Still, Joseph Arthur remains wary of all this attention. "Joseph Arthur was fast acquiring the snake-like qualities one needs to become king for a day in this expensive world" he recently scribbled of himself, only half convinced of own his ironic intent. But it's clear that his soul runs the show. On seeing him play or listening to this album, you realize that his cynicism loses the argument to his heart.