The Excitement Plan

Todd Snider’s a singer-songwriter who isn’t satisfied writing the same old love songs. He’s a writer who likes to find a subject and twist it until some form of truth is wrung from the investigation. He does so with a minimum of fuss — an acoustic blues guitar here, a ragtime piano there — so his voice and message can be heard loud and clear. Yet, the music remains muscular. That’s one tough harmonica driving “Slim Chance” and a firm, uncompromising piano setting up the simple but effective rhythm section of “Greencastle Blues,” as Snider recounts the trouble his narrator has found while admitting he’s learned nothing from his experiences but the ability to make things worse. The murderer singing to us for “Unorganized Crime” shows no remorse, but Snider imbues his tactlessness with a perverse charm, giving us a laugh when we least expect it. “Bring ‘Em Home” asks to send our troops out of harm’s way, while “America’s Favorite Pastime” recounts a baseball no-hitter thrown by Doc Ellis while tripping on LSD.