Singer and songwriter
Andy Shauf
is frequently praised for his skill in drawing his characters and crafting interesting scenarios for them. In that respect, 2023's
Norm
is very much typical of his work. In nearly every other respect, this finds him bravely exploring new sonic and thematic territory. In the most surprising change, one of the characters playing a key role in
Shauf
's narrative is God -- if you haven't seen the video for the song "Wasted on You" or read the lyrics sheet where Me" and "You" are often capitalized, you might not have immediately guessed
was singing about the Supreme Being, but once the tunesmith has tipped his hand, the divinity of one of his protagonists is rather obvious.
is a song cycle in which four characters are trying to sort out their feelings about others and how they should act on them, and it seems the Lord's indecision about his Only Begotten Son isn't that much different than the title character drawing a blank about how to approach the person they saw at the supermarket. (
's concern about the craft of these songs is such that he credits a story editor in the liner notes.) Musically, the folkie slant of
's melodies has given way to airy performances with R&B and jazz accents, and keyboards often dominate the arrangements instead of guitar.
clearly didn't want to repeat himself, and he hasn't, even though the soft suede of his voice still dominates the tracks, seeming even stronger when his characters are in emotional retreat. One might be tempted to play this story for laughs, and it's commendable this album feels straightforward and sincere, even at its least plausible and possibly blasphemous. If God is a metaphor as much as a spiritual presence in
,
thinks his dilemma is as real and as worthy of serious thought as that of the human beings sharing the stage, and it's the strength of the songwriting that makes this audacious premise work. Remember back in the '90s when
Joan Osborne
wondered out loud about "What if God was one of us? Just a slob like one of us?" Maybe she and
should talk about it some time. ~ Mark Deming