Sometimes, all it boils down to is wanting to play “messianic oracular honky-tonk”. In Josh Ritter’s case, that amusingly apt illustration proved the inspiration for his eighth album, but don’t be fooled by the title.
Ritter is more of a sweet-talker than a fervent preacher for these tracks, mostly advocating the gospel of the holy trinity: Dylan (Birds of the Meadow), Van Morrison (The Stone) and Springsteen (Where the Night Goes).
What comes blazing out of the traps with the excellent Young Moses soon settles into a blues-hued, alt-country groove. The evocative Homecoming notwithstanding, the subsequent lack of pace feels like a missed opportunity to kick out the jams.
Still, even when Ritter is trundling gently along, his stories are usually worth eavesdropping in on.
