For this week's Album of the Week I decided to reach out to a slightly older album, but certainly one of my favorite recordings I've had the privilege of listening to: Jay Brannan's Goddamned
.I've written about Jay before when I first saw him in concert. Seeing him live is certainly a great experience and seeing him live without any previous exposure to his music was a complete and total surprise in the best possible way. This guy is a true singer/songwriter in many, many senses. I was recently able to see him on stage again here in Chicago, and although the venue (Beat Kitchen) was not the best, it was still an absolute pleasure to see him perform live.
Some things hold true about Jay no matter whether you see him live or listen to his albums, particularly the perfect qualities of his voice. I can't say it any better than I did the first time around:
This is a voice that you don't often hear in the music world. Soft and strong, perfectly pitched with a solid vibrato, and the accuracy of a trumpet with the rhythm of a percussionist. This was a musician on stage, not just a guy with a guitar.
Goddamned was his first effort at a self-produced album. That normally spells amateur and barely passable when it comes to most singer/songwriters, but Jay isn't really your average bloke with a guitar. This guy is a true musician that understands his art. He knows his voice, he knows his ability, and he knows how to allow the song to flow from within him, acting as the vessel to art rather than the patriarchal creator. There's something magical about that as it is a rare quality to find in a musician.
None of this means Jay is anywhere close to Sainthood though. With Goddamned, he explores the underbelly of money-hungry religious leaders, he reveals his promiscuity, and he revels in his many and varied neuroses. And not a moment of it is off-putting, because in every song the listener can relate on some level. We've all had the one-night stand, or the moment when we felt a bit whoreish, or that moment when we impatiently waited by the phone for that boy/girl to call us back even though we know in our heart they aren't going to call. More than just about any other songwriter, Jay finds a way to tap into all of those things in a way that both exposes himself and the listener at the same time, creating a bond that is hard to come by in an album.
Jay is a gay man, and although his songs often explore his life as a gay man, he abhors being called a "gay singer/songwriter." He's been known to delete references to his sexuality from his Wikipedia page. I'm not completely sure why it is important to him to be known as just a plain ol' singer/songwriter when his songs so explicitly handle the queer psyche, but it is important to him so I'll comply: He's a songwriter. That is also gay. And writes mostly gay-themed material, because that is his experience. But he's just a singer/songwriter.
Tracks to pay attention to: Half-Boyfriend, I Want To Be A Housewife, Bowlegged and Starving. Songs to skip: none. They're all really amazing with great production value. Minimalist, but well-done. If you don't own Goddamned, I strongly suggest that you add it to your collection. He has a newer album as well, but I'll cover that another time. For now, go get Goddamned and enjoy the hell out of it!
None of this means Jay is anywhere close to Sainthood though. With Goddamned, he explores the underbelly of money-hungry religious leaders, he reveals his promiscuity, and he revels in his many and varied neuroses. And not a moment of it is off-putting, because in every song the listener can relate on some level. We've all had the one-night stand, or the moment when we felt a bit whoreish, or that moment when we impatiently waited by the phone for that boy/girl to call us back even though we know in our heart they aren't going to call. More than just about any other songwriter, Jay finds a way to tap into all of those things in a way that both exposes himself and the listener at the same time, creating a bond that is hard to come by in an album.
Jay is a gay man, and although his songs often explore his life as a gay man, he abhors being called a "gay singer/songwriter." He's been known to delete references to his sexuality from his Wikipedia page. I'm not completely sure why it is important to him to be known as just a plain ol' singer/songwriter when his songs so explicitly handle the queer psyche, but it is important to him so I'll comply: He's a songwriter. That is also gay. And writes mostly gay-themed material, because that is his experience. But he's just a singer/songwriter.
Tracks to pay attention to: Half-Boyfriend, I Want To Be A Housewife, Bowlegged and Starving. Songs to skip: none. They're all really amazing with great production value. Minimalist, but well-done. If you don't own Goddamned, I strongly suggest that you add it to your collection. He has a newer album as well, but I'll cover that another time. For now, go get Goddamned and enjoy the hell out of it!
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