Deadpan Love

Not many performing aliases are as groan-inducing as the one used by Joshua Karpeh. It was seemingly provided by an intern at Chuck Ds Punbrokers. Even fewer, however, are as appropriate. As the musician known as Cautious Clay watched his profile rise with Cold War -- a song that gained traction on SoundCloud in 2017, played in a 2018 episode of Insecure, and in 2019 was sampled by Taylor Swift for London Boy -- he carried on with baking music rather than microwaving it. By the end of 2020, he had a modest discography of EPs and singles, a collaboration with John Mayer, plus songwriting and production in support of contemporaries such as Alina Baraz, AlunaGeorge, and John Legend. Deadpan Love, Karpehs debut album, arrived four years after he left his nine-to-five to focus on music. It continues his measured progression as a stylist of mellow pop songs with soul that articulate pensive self-awareness and a level of empathy best summarized in Spinner: I just wanna spin the truth about the ones I care about/All in the name of sufferin, but Ill see this through. Conversely, that ballad is unique in that Karpehs voice is out in front, further emphasized by reverb, accompanied only by intertwined piano lines in the distance. Most of the remainder is so casual, pleasant, and layered that it can be easy to miss the wariness, longing, mixed emotions, and unresolved conflict Karpeh expresses with his tender, pacifying voice. Hes actually at his best when theres a bit of swagger in his step. On Karma & Friends, laced with hints of classic Philly soul and percussion that knocks like OutKasts Elevators (Me & You), he doesnt have to raise his voice to make You cant even expense my love sting. While not one thought is exaggerated for effect, deadpan undersells the LP as a whole. ~ Andy Kellman

ビリー・アイリッシュ"Ocean Eyes"のリミックスを手掛けたり、テイラー・スウィフト"London Boy"で自身の曲がサンプリングされたり、ジョン・メイヤー制作のドラマ挿入曲"Swim Home"を歌うなどいろんな角度で話題を集め、昨年は日本独自盤『Complete』もコンパイルされたクリーヴランド出身のマルチなR&Bシンガー。その後もジョン・レジェンド『Bigger Love』のプロデュース参加やベニー・シングスとのコラボで活躍していたが、この初のフル・アルバムはシーアらを手掛けるジェシー・シャトキンを筆頭に多くのクリエイターに援護を仰ぎ、案外オーセンティックな自身の歌唱に多彩な切り口を与えている。ダン・ニグロら制作の"Roots"、サバを交えた"Strange Love"など好曲が揃った一枚だ。
bounce (C)大原かおり