Damon Aaron: Ballast
Plug Research

Damon Aaron's contributions to Telefon Tel Aviv's Map of What is Effortless were so memorable, they end up working against him on his first official full-length release. In place of the electronic soul settings that Telefon Tel Aviv crafted for Aaron's soulful voice, Ballast couches it in acoustic folk balladeering and the results, while good enough, aren't as strong. As the follow-up to his 2003 EP Cymbidium (Kick Snare Hat), the 37-minute Ballast presents him as more of a singer-songwriter than a soul singer and, though the eleven songs are pretty , the album as a whole is neither overly imposing nor melodically distinguished. Still, regardless of the context, Aaron's voice is appealing when heard solo (“Freedom”) or multi-tracked (“Roadmaps”); eschewing histrionics, his vocal style is soulful and smooth.

The album certainly starts promisingly with a brief, Prefuse-styled funk instrumental of cello and synth burble, followed by the soulful lilt of the acoustic ballad “Roadmaps,” its arrangement nicely fleshed out by Rhodes, acoustic bass, and cymbal-laden drums. But once settled into that mellow, low-key style, the album rarely strays from it thereafter. Electronic accents do add some background contrast to “In and Out” and “All I Need” while “My Way Home” features some nice guitar picking. A subtle hip-hop feel emerges in the instrumental interlude “Theme from Ballast” but it's too fleeting and undeveloped to make a significant impact.

Composed and produced in Altadena, California, Aaron contends the record is “about preserving a mood and telling a story.” Yes, a consistent mood reigns throughout, one strongly abetted by the lyrics' themes of struggle and resignation (“Please take the wheel / I got nowhere to be / I need someone to talk to” in “Roadmaps” and “Show me the way to freedom / I want something to believe in” in “Freedom”), just not the most adventurous mood one might have preferred. Aaron's acoustic ballad “Don't Know How It Happens” recalls the laid-back feel of Norah Jones' “Sunrise,” a good or bad thing depending on your listening taste. While Ballast is pleasant, consider for a moment the more enticing proposition of an electronic soul setting featuring Aaron with production by Telefon Tel Aviv's Joshua Eustis.

May 2005