Aligning with producer
Shooter Jennings
does give
American Aquarium
a jolt of earthiness on
Lamentations
, a quality that suits the collection of songs
BJ Barham
wrote for this 2020 album.
Barham
wears his heart heavily on
, a fact he takes no pains to disguise. The album opens with the quasi-title track "Me + Mine (Lamentations)," a weary ballad that stretches out for nearly seven minutes. It's a foreboding start to an album, and while there are moments of lightness that peek in through the cracks -- "Starts with You" is a propulsive bit of jangle pop evoking
the Wallflowers
, "The Luckier You Get" slams like prime
John Mellencamp
-- this is a somber, serious affair, one that explores the dashed dreams of America at the dawn of the 2020s. At times, the deliberate tempos and drawled melodies wind up underscoring
's debt to
Bruce Springsteen
, but that's where
Jennings
steps in, letting the rest of
pull
from a sober singer/songwriter set into a burly, rocking Americana record. Perhaps it's a subtle shift, but the gangly gait of the band does help give
's bittersweet songs a welcome muscle and a pulse. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine