King of Echo Park

In 1969, Keith Barbour nicked the Top 40 with a strange bombastic ballad called "Echo Park" — and 35 years later, Brian Joseph is the de facto ruler of that world, leading off his King of Echo Park CD with an authoritative original, "God Save the King." This opening track of his third long player resembles Elvis Costello doing a soundtrack to a Laurel & Hardy film. You don't need the back cover photo of the actor/singer fully clothed in a swimming pool to hear his tongue firmly planted in cheek on this first of four co-writes between the artist and his producer, folk veteran Wendy Waldman. The elaborate package contains lyrics and photographs stretched across 16 pages, which makes the study of his quirky thoughts somewhat easy on the eyes. Where "Walk on Alvarado" brings the sound of New Orleans to Los Angeles and works as a fine musical effort, the semi-skiffle of "Hallalujah" is a complete turnaround, comedy/gospel bordering on blasphemy. "Hallalujah/I Believe/ Hallalujah/Just like Adam and Eve" pushes the envelope, while a line like "Baptisms in the morning/and holdups in the night" just sends it right over the cliff. Waldman's production is fantastic, the jazz/folk of their closing co-write, "God Bless the Storm," some eerie paradox questioning the Creator with slow, drawn-out anger. That spell is also cast over the contemplative "Nobody Misses You," the first of five solo compositions. Joseph contributes to all 13 titles, and embellishes his music with contributions from some impressive side people — Kenny Edwards who has worked with Linda Ronstadt and Don Henley, Julie Wolf from the Dar Williams/Ani DiFranco camp; Bonnie Raitt, and Crosby, Stills & Nash alum Freebo among others. "Ways of the Cool" borrows a little too much from Billy Joel's "Only the Good Die Young," but the songs surrounding it have enough originality to make that dreadful lapse of conscience (and/or inspiration) forgivable . It's an interesting blend of talents on a satisfying and clever release by an artist who is worth the time listeners seem to have so little of these days.