Mark Etheredge –
Change Coming
2012, Vipaka Records
Mark Etheredge is one of a long line of computer software/programming
professionals to harbor dreams of an alternate career in music. Unlike many, Etheredge walked away from the
safety and security of his nine-to-five into his dream, full-time gig writing,
recording and performing music.
Etheredge’s debut album, Change
Coming, plays with the smoothness of adult pop performers as Steely Dan,
Boz Scaggs and Rodd Rundgren. Etheredge sprinkles
his twelve original songs with often witty lyrics as he explores real feelings,
real people and real life.2012, Vipaka Records
Change Coming opens
with “Living In The R.T.”, a song decrying the spread of modern technology and
the digital lifestyle. The song is
catchy with a mild dose of funk in the baseline, although the vocals are too
low in the mix. Etheredge nails a 1970’s
AM radio soul/pop sound here, and keeps it going for “Tuk Tuk Driver”, a catchy
little number about falling in love. The
song is actually quite catchy in spite of some occasionally awkward lyrical
constructs. Diving into regret over a
relationship he walked away from, Etheredge explores what might have been with
“I Would”. Etheredge struggles a bit
with pitch as he takes his voice up an octave for the chorus. The song is generally well-written, although
the lyrical turns are a bit ill-kempt at times.
Innuendo and thinly veiled intentions are the order of the
day on “Hot Tub”, all wrapped up in a deliciously catchy pop arrangement that
blends jazz and soul into the mix. Etheredge
goes for humor here, missing the mark but skating along on the strength of the
killer arrangement. Etheredge aims for a
second chance at love with an old flame, under the premise that this time she
might be “The One”. Even an impartial
listener will be unmoved by the wishy-washy approach here. Etheredge gets his mojo on for “The Other
Man”, a slinky, funky number that tries to usurp the love who is already
devoted elsewhere. This is the best
songwriting of the album thus far; hook driven and with a cogent lyrical flow.
“Pimp You Out For Love” starts out sounding like a compact
rocker, but breaks into some serious pop/boogie for the chorus. As good as the arrangement is, the lyrics
take a rather pedestrian run at setting up a friend that eschews rhyme schemes
and even poetic sense. “Dear Buddy” is
troubled relationship song written from a man to his cat. Etheredge makes a vaguely subtle attempt to
conceal the subject of the song at first, opting for a slow, sliding reveal
that’s not without humor. It’s a cute
song that will hit home amongst cat lovers.
The straight-forward piano-driven adult pop arrangement is a good
match. “Room To Room” is full of pure
singer/songwriter pastiche. This
portrait of a woman getting ready to downsize her home after forty years has
the potential to be touching, but rather than expanding on the story Etheredge
simply repeats it. It’s all done to a
solid piano arrangement with string a cello solo in the bridge, but the
repetitive nature of the lyrics makes it a hard sell.
“Lessons” is a melancholy treatise on humanity’s tendency to
have to learn the same lessons over and over again. Etheredge gives an affecting performance this
time around, sounding as if he’s singing from the heart. The songwriting here is solid as well, from
lyrics to arrangement and back. “A Bit
Of Kindness” exhorts the power of a being good to each other to make a better
world. Funk and jazz-infused pop make up
the musical palette for the most vibrant and memorable song on the album. “Change Coming” is a stiffly awkward pop
declaration about rising above mediocrity.
The message is admirable, but Etheredge pairs it with a generic pop
piano arrangement that is less than inspiring.
Mark Etheredge works the heart and humor strings on Change Coming, sometimes affecting sweet
and/or funny moments, and sometimes tripping on awkward combinations. The album is a solid introduction to an
artist who is still learning his craft as a lyricist, but shows a surprising
ability at crafting accessible and complete musical arrangements that seem ready
for adult contemporary radio. Change Coming bodes well for Etheridge’s
future as a rock composer, and offers opportunities for poetic growth.
Rating: 3 Stars (Out of 5)Learn more at www.marketheredge.com.
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