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CON'T:
Purpose takes the almost indescribably intense moments of life and brings them a step closer to comprehension, sometimes by the simple telling of their story, sometimes by finding the perfect image. There is a sense of a quest to truly feel and notice life.
We feel the vulnerability as Purpose recognizes personal shortcomings on his way to discovering the deepest joys of life. I first heard “Child of Hearts,” a song about meeting a four year old daughter for the first time, standing with a few people in front of the Tangible Music booth at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival in 1998. I quite literally found myself reaching for something to hold on to, so powerfully and precisely portrayed is the moment of the song.
“Ring on My Hand,” with Lucy Kaplansky, balances those salty tears with the sweet. “Where before both my arms had been wildly flailing/ for the want of a worthy command/They now hung by my side, both steady and sure/Can’t you see, there’s a ring on my hand.”
Two must-hear (sing to yourself, memorize, etc.) songs from the last album are updated here, “Mr. Schwinn,” and “Last Great Kiss of the 20th Century.” The latter song has the new surprise ending alluded to in an interview with Purpose in issue 8 of this publication.
Perhaps it is the perfect sound of “Same River Twice” that makes the more produced sound of this album seem distracting. Purpose’s exquisite guitar playing is often lost in the mix. Aural candy, such as the (gasp!) glockenspiel on “Mr. Schwinn” seems more like an add-on than an integral part of the songs.
Perhaps the fuller sound will make the music of Darryl Purpose more radio friendly. “Ring on My Hand” could be “the” wedding song of the next thousand years or so, and “Last Great Kiss of the 20th Century” should be the theme song of the next two New Year’s Eves. But there’s no reason not to enjoy this fine music before radio play or Y2K! —Mike Devlin |
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