2.5 stars
“Ex Tempore” is Johnny Irion’s second solo release, although solo may not be the correct word for it. Irion has previously released music with wife Sarah Lee Guthrie – daughter of Arlo and granddaughter of Woody – and she’s present here too. A number of other musicians play with Irion on this album as well, which is well-suited for the folk tradition Irion fits into.
This album sends mixed signals. The album starts unspectacularly with “Take Care,” in which Irion begins, “You don’t come around like you used to.” With the chorus comes “You gotta hold onto my love.” Both lines seem like they’ve been written before.
On the other hand, there’s the creative “1,000 Miles an Hour.” The song starts out, “Oh this world is turning fast / 1,000 miles an hour last time I asked.” These lines seem like they should have been written before (especially since he’s right about the speed; that little tidbit of information is just too suited for song to have been passed up for so long).
Irion’s sweet croon on “Eyes Like a Levee” is pleasant. Another track that gives a good taste of Irion’s voice is the weird “Brush Yer Teeth Blues #56,” a lullaby of sorts.
The distortion-laden “Madrid” is a nice track to mix things up. The repetitive chorus, “I go to bat for you / You knock me out of the park,” is fun, but the kitschy applause at the end could have been left out.
“Good Cry” is less upbeat. Here, Irion matches the sadder lyrics with a more bluesy arrangement. “Always Lookin’ Out,” late in the album, is another slow one. The odd effects used in this song don’t really work, and the track, like the album by this point, gets a little tedious.
Irion tries to find feeling on this album, but his heartbreak gets old. There are high points, emotionally and musically, but for the most part this album is a downer. Some creative lyrics hold “Ex Tempore” up, but for the standard fare, lonely subject matter, more is needed to keep the listen interesting.
However, if a folk singer with the blues piques your interest, Irion plays at Bella Festa in Wilmington on September 7 and at Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro on September 15.
