In a world where the most popular musicians are constantly nagged by A&R people and managers to think about the immediate future, few have the luxury of being advised to consider the future. No, not two or five years from now, but even further than that.
In this world in which art has become disposable and ruled by the whims of big businesses and software algorithms, what’s the value of a musician’s life? And how can artists give meaning to their lives when they don’t stop to think what’s actually meaningful? This is what Jim Patton & Sherry Brokus, with the benefit of wisdom and experience, consider on their new album “Two True Lovers.”
Do the biggest rockstars and their managers get to lie their heads at night and feel comfort? Are they happy with the way that their children are growing up? That’s the priority for Patton on the opening track, the gentle folk-rock of “I Want It All,” where he dares to ask himself what’s really a priority.
And who’s waiting around while you’re doing all that thinking and songwriting? On the song “Two True Loves,” the artists hope that they’ll be landing in the arms of someone who cares, knowing that the alternative, for most of us, is to fall for deceptive vices.
Yes, for the most part, this collection of songs is a friendly affair. But don’t go and mistake this for a hippie-like folk record that you play to friends on Sunday morning over organic tea. It’s not just that.
On the retro-grooved, Dylanesque “Why Did You Leave Me for Him,” Patton musters the strength and humour to recall the loss of a romantic partner to the devious charms of a rival. The acoustic guitar strum of “That Cup Of Coffee We Never Had,” brings back into existence dreams of impossible love affairs and old regrets. And, on “Hard Times,” Brokus and Patton’s vocals blend beautifully to sing a mournful song about people at the end of their ropes, or near the very end of the road.
Where does it all leave us? Jim Patton and Sherry Brokus have seen enough to know what real troubles look like and to recognise what real hope represents. The album closer, the piano-driven “One More Song,” the songwriter tells the story of artists fighting against the world’s indifference and working because of an intense love afair with art itself. That counts for something! It certainly beats the A&R guy’s promise of a free limo ride to the lawyer’s office.
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