Cloud of Unknowing

Recorded simply, with a backing combo of upright bass, drums and an occasional female harmony vocal, Cloud of Unknowing puts Dutch folkie Ad Vanderveen at his low-key, unpretentious best. A loose song cycle of emotionally varied love songs documenting the ups and downs of a relationship, Cloud of Unknowing's guarded title matches Vanderveen's lyrical preoccupations, which seem wary and slightly cynical even on a seemingly sunny pop tune like the album's centerpiece and creative high point "Love's Why You're Alive." Aimee Mann might not be a good musical point of comparison, but Vanderveen certainly takes a page from her lyrically. The combination of his simple but effective acoustic guitar playing, country-tinged folk-rock tunes like the vintage Jackson Browne-ish rumination "Going to the Well," and the album's live-sounding arrangements works perfectly, although those who like their folk-rock presented in a more musically dynamic form might find Cloud of Unknowing a little too quiet and samey for their tastes.