Jonny Fritz Remains Tough To Pin Down On ‘Sweet Creep’ (ALBUM REVIEW)

[rating=8.00]

fritzFrom the start, it’s always been a bit of challenge to pin Jonny Fritz down. His brand of “silly country” feels so unique to him, it’s hard to compare him to anyone else. It’s even harder to determine his level of sincerity when he sings songs about the best breed of dogs and chowing down on chili dogs in the morning. And though often times his songs are just that simple (no really, check out “Chihuahua Rescue” and “Chilidog Morning”), he’s a master at disguising a much deeper meaning in a joke, making you shed a tear even as you stifle a laugh. On his newest record Sweet Creep, he continues to hone in on his specialty: a hearty sense of humor with a heaping side of ennui.

There’s something effortlessly sweet in Fritz’s singing voice – a gentleness that adds a kind of natural vulnerability to his tone – so that when he’s sings about life’s banalities and hardships, we feel for him…even if he’s poking fun. He’s an expert at seeing the humor in the depressing, and as a touring musician, a lot of that downer material seems to come straight from experience. “Stadium Inn” brings a sad-sack roadside motel to life in all its seedy glory. A truly yucky place where peeping toms can watch prostitutes at work through the windows and where mumbling bums are fixtures. But the way Fritz sings it, as a menacing jig with a mischievous grin, the feeling of malaise is drowned in a giddy curiosity that almost – ALMOST – makes us want to pay a visit ourselves. His storytelling is vivid and descriptive enough that even after listening, we might just feel like we did.

Road songs reveal the unglamorous chaos of life on tour and “Fifteen Passenger Van” may be the best of the lot. Said vehicle does nothing but break down and make them late to gigs, stressing everyone out in the process, from the label to the interns. Still, though this lug of a ride is a pain in the ass, Fritz also captures the sick kind of magic that comes with cramped camaraderie. “Forever Whatever” finds Fritz lamenting over a lack of a home base. A neglected relationship has soured and left its mark. “She doesn’t like you anymore/You come so fast/Then you go on tour/You don’t have a place to live anymore,” he sings.

Fritz gets more sonically playful than his last record, tapping into a zoned-out, psychedelic sound on songs like the hypnotic, hate-your-life anthem “Are You Thirsty?” The sad ode to a wounded lover “Cries After Making Love” has a smooth, subtle seventies vibe, and the blue-collar beauty “Stone Cold Daddy-O” employs a lovely group of ladies to add sparse, haunting a Capella harmonies giving it an old school folk aesthetic.

Sweet Creep is a solid collection of songwriting from one of songwriting’s best. Fritz is that rare artist who, even when he’s slipping into a goofy character, is wholeheartedly himself. He finds the fun in the most bummers of situations, like that one good friend you always want to keep around.

Related Content

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recent Posts

New to Glide

Keep up-to-date with Glide

Twitter