Kevin Gilbert - Thud

Coming off the dissolution of art rock semi-supergroup Toy Matinee and the more freshly released debut smash of his then-girlfiend Sheryl Crow's career, Kevin Gilbert's first and unfortunately only fully-finished solo album Thud should've been just the first step of one of the more consistently fascinating singer-songwriters of the 90s. Shedding the prog rock excess of his previous work, Thud is far less self-conscious and pompous than the sometimes tiring squeaky-clean sheen of Toy Matinee got to be without losing any of the songwriting punch. Sadly it would end up becoming his only truly complete solo work aside from the stitched-together remains of his grandiose rock opera follow up The Shaming of the True.

Don't mistake a lack of art rock gloss for a "heavier, rawer" approach, though - Thud treads much of the same adult contemporary pop/prog ground that Gilbert had traversed before, just at a less frantic pace this time as more laid-back pieces form the bulk of the material, from the sleepy sing-a-long "Tears of Audrey" to "Joytown"'s darkly shuddering groove and the strangely familiar-feeling intro acoustic number "When You Give Your Love To Me". Gilbert indulges his Genesis-loving side only on a few select pieces, in particular the album highlight "Shadow Self" which is blessed with, among other things, a bass line so firmly in the pocket it would make Doug Wimbish jealous and "Waiting", a textbook Gilbert song if there ever was one: off-kilter arrangement, lyrics that lean heavily into black comedy, and a chorus that never takes the easy way out. Other highlights include the infectious toe-tapping polemic of "Goodness Gracious" and the lush backup vocals and lilting sway of "All Fall Down" while more pedestrian selections such as "Shrug (Because of Me and You)" and "Tea For One" are enjoyable but feel like they lack a certain oomph that would elevate them into the same altitudes as the other tracks.

From a production/technical standpoint, Thud is just as excellent and clear-sounding as you would expect from these types of industry veterans. Gilbert's voice is sharply audible and just loud enough to cut clearly through the the tracks without sacrificing the breadth of sounds provided by the backing instruments and the whole thing sounds quite simple and pleasant - definitely easy on the ears, with a nice dynamic range in the teens. And with the whole gang packing it in before the 50 minute mark is reached you've got a nearly perfect run-time as well. It's a rare piece of art that can provide such strong returns on such a meager investment, and that makes Thud more than worth the trouble of digging it up.