Poor L'il Rockstar

Details: Amazon.ca Can J. Englishman really count as a rock star if hardly anyone has heard of him? That question goes unanswered on Poor Li'l Rockstar, a mostly un-rocking but still intriguing album by the young Toronto-based artist. Rather than the heavy-metal excess implied by the title--and the singer's time in a Toronto metal band called J.F. Wylde--Englishman mostly trades in subdued trip-hop. His murmurs over slick tracks in a breathy, menacing fashion call to mind the later recordings by The The as well as the moody, somewhat theatrical solo discs of former I Mother Earth singer Edwin and Moist's David Usher. Poor Li'l Rockstar is also influenced by the music of Englishman's sister, who records as Esthero and sings backup on several of her brother's songs under the pseudonym Ms. Sissie. He also gets assistance from guitarist Kurt Swinghammer on three songs, the singers in Toronto soul group Blaxäm on "Don't Mean a Thing" and "Fade" and, on the flashy "More," the unlikely pair of East Coast music star Damhnait Doyle and Toronto glam-rocker Robin Black. These guests add some enthusiasm to the disc's more boisterous moments. Overall, though, it relies on a more intimate vibe, something that helps more delicate songs like the closer "Fade," in which he laments, "I'm too strong to love/I'm too weak to change." Unfortunately, the material on Poor Li'l Rockstar only rarely rises above the level of the formulaic. One suspects that Englishman's studied sense of cool is hampering his efforts to become a compelling presence on his own album. --Jason Anderson

UPC: 685738165025

EAN: 0685738165025

Binding: audioCD

Item Condition: UsedVeryGood