Artist: Jules Shear
Album: One More Crooked Dance
Label: Funzalo Records
Release Date: 11.27.2017
A consummate singer/songwriter and guitarist, Jules Shear has been releasing solo albums since his 1983 debut ‘Watch Dog’ (EMI Records). He’s found chart success with his own singles while penning other hits for artists such as Cyndi Lauper (“All Through the Night”); the Bangles (“If She Knew What She Wants”); and Til Tuesday (“(Believed You Were) Lucky”) to name a few.
On Shear’s latest solo offering, One More Crooked Dance, his second with Funzalo Records, the musician gathered a few friends—Molly Farley (vocals), Pepe (piano) and John Sebastian (harp)—to contribute to the 13-track album. Shear looked within himself while writing this introspective record and the songs are relatable on several different levels for the listener.
The opening track, “Rules of the Game,” sets the tone as Shear and Farley harmonize over a subtle piano piece, the setup, throughout the album: strong vocals, piano and harmonica. The songs are thought-provoking, and Shear has a lot on his mind in these songs from self-medication (“Painkiller”), to self-awareness (“Guessing,” “Half Hearted Head”), and the ebb and flow of romance (“Be with You,”) (“The Hunter and the Hunted”).
Jules Shear took a leap of faith with One More Crooked Dance, recording songs rich in lyrical texture and spare on instrumentation: exactly what the album called for.
—Troy Michael
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