Josh Ritter: Sermon on the Rocks | Album Review

Sermon on the Rocks
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Artist: Josh Ritter
Genre: Singer / Songwriter
Label: Pytheas Recordings/Thirty Tigers

Sometimes, all it boils down to is wanting to play “messianic oracular honky-tonk”. In Josh Ritter’s case, that amusingly apt illustration proved the inspiration for his eighth album, but don’t be fooled by the title.

Ritter is more of a sweet-talker than a fervent preacher for these tracks, mostly advocating the gospel of the holy trinity: Dylan (Birds of the Meadow), Van Morrison (The Stone) and Springsteen (Where the Night Goes).

What comes blazing out of the traps with the excellent Young Moses soon settles into a blues-hued, alt-country groove. The evocative Homecoming notwithstanding, the subsequent lack of pace feels like a missed opportunity to kick out the jams.

Still, even when Ritter is trundling gently along, his stories are usually worth eavesdropping in on.

Lauren Murphy

Lauren Murphy

Lauren Murphy is a freelance journalist and broadcaster. She writes about music and the arts for The Irish Times