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Intro/general thoughts: If there's one thing Joel Cage has trouble with, it's describing his music. He tells folkies "aggressive acoustified folk music." He tells rockers "kind of like revved up acoustic music." And to journalists, he says "acoustified, revved up folkie rock and roll." I just call it damn good. Cage's third CD, "windmills are coming," is a culmination of live shows played on a spring-through-fall tour in 1999. The songs are inspiring in their simplicity and power. It's just Cage and his guitar, motoring through some of his originals, and some excellent covers of songs that can usually only be handled by a full band and three engineering geniuses. Type of Music: Folk (okay, "revved up folk") Hometown: Meredith, New Hampshire Notable: Cage has performed with Bruce Springsteen, Roy Orbison, and Eddie Money. He was also a member of Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes for three-and-a-half years. Highs: Although I would rather hear original music than covers on CDs, like everyone else, I use covers as a benchmark to rate an artist's abilities. Having said that, Cage kicks it up big-time with his cover of U2's "Streets with No Name" (he calls it "Streets"), and again with The Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again." However, I would have to say "Don't Be a Stranger" is my favorite. It successfully melds mellow guitar playing and his forceful, soaring voice into an intense musical experience that you feel instead of hear. Lows: My ONLY complaint about the entire album is that there are no lyrics in the CD cover. How am I supposed to sing along? But the music is so fantastic, Cage's voice is so moving, and his guitar-playing is top-notch, I can't complain about anything else. I liked all the songs, I loved the guitar playing, and I would give my left arm to sing like that. I suppose it's a good thing he didn't include the lyrics. Fans: If you like Michael Hedges, William Ackerman, Steven Stills, or Darryl Purpose (reviewed right here on Indie-Music.com), you'll love Joel Cage. Hell, even if you don't like those guys, you'll still like Joel Cage. Foes: If you would rather listen to "St. Paul Sunday Mornings" on National Public Radio, then Joel Cage is not for you. Summary: Joel Cage is probably one of the best kept secrets in the music business. He's won a veritable barrage of songwriting awards, earned numerous music awards and nominations, and played at conferences and folk festivals more times than Madonna's had sex. But still, commercial success has escaped him. And given the state of commercial music today, maybe it's better that way. Let's just keep Cage our little secret. Buy his CDs -- no, buy lots of his CDs and give them to friends -- and let's hope he can save his soul and play the music he was born to play. Artist's Website: http://www.joelcage.com |
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