A.A. Bondy: American Hearts (2007)

New Wax


My genuine (and slightly profane) reaction a mere 52 seconds into the first track of this wonderful album: "Um. Holy Shit." A.A. Bondy is the pseudonym of Scott Bondy, a former member of Alabama rock band Verbena. With his new solo album American Hearts, Bondy delves into straightforward folk music, with beautifully strummed and finger-picked guitars and sparse instrumentation accentuating the tracks. The production on American Hearts is perfect, never over-glossing the authentic feel of the songs, and affording Bondy's lulling voice to shine. While the laid back album plays as the perfect accompaniment to a rainy afternoon with it's low-key southern jangle, there is a brilliance in its subtlety. Bondy's vocals are pleasant and unassuming, but there is a depth of material here, as Bondy effortlessly mixes spot-on imagery with religious undertones. Bondy possesses that uncanny ability to pack a wallop in seemingly simplistic lyrics. On the slow-moving "There's A Reason," Bondy's chorus reads, "The love that's tearing you down, is the love that will turn you around." It's one of those lines that seeps into your mind and lingers long after the song is over. On the spiritual "Rapture," Bondy sings "I don't want to talk about Jesus, just want to see his face/ The trees are swinging like hanging men, and I just want to see his face/ And rapture, sweet rapture, won't you lay your hands on me/ For I am blind." Ultimately, Bondy's album plays like a polished installment in an experienced folkster's catalog rather than someone's first solo album. American Hearts is sublime, and any self-respecting folk-junkie NEEDS to have a copy of the album in their collection. -- Capt. Obvious

Listen:
MP3: AA Bondy - There's A Reason
MP3: AA Bondy - Vice Rag

Tags: AA Bondy, American Hearts