Almost Cured Of Sadness

Mojo - 3 stars out of 5 - "...[It] teems with strong ideas. The title track is particularly good..."

Almost Cured of Sadness sees Mr. Baby Bird Stephen Jones returning to his lo-fi roots to offer up 19-plus nuggets of musical hysteria. That the album is dedicated to "Delphie, the stomach baby, who makes it a Jesus-free Xmas almost everyday" is an indication of just how warped Jones aspires to be here. Those who know Jones/Baby Bird only for "You're Gorgeous" had best steer away from this fascinating experimental hodgepodge of inspired pop psychosis. Singing mostly in falsetto with some patches of his patented crooning, Jones dabbles in lo-fi hip-hop soundscapes, heartbreaking ballads, freaky sampled soul, dark electronica, disturbed nursery rhymes, and pure pop confections. As always, he sings about creepy but pristine tales of religious icons, depression, redemption, degenerates, drugs, and assorted esoterica. Some listeners might find Jones' genre excursions and overall demented musical-hybridization unsettling or inaccessible, but those who dig deeper into the album's experimental heart will be rewarded again and again. Jones can seemingly write killer, devastating melodies and tear-jerking hooks in his sleep, and Almost Cured of Sadness absolutely abounds with the fruit of beautiful songs. And these are not just quick shards or song fragments, but fully formed beasts averaging about three-and-a-half minutes a pop, unlike the shorter ditties on Jones' soundtrack compilations. If not for the lo-fi textures and frazzled-genius crackle of the production, a handful of these songs could rule the charts. But that's not the point of a Stephen Jones album, as he's an artist who seems to make music out of the sheer necessity to explore his love of melody, art, and life itself. The epic scope of the album goes beyond the 19 songs listed on its sleeve, as the final track is actually an 11-minute medley, centered around a freaky but touching cover of the Arthur Hamilton/Peggy Lee song "Sing a Rainbow." With so many highlights and standout releases already to his name, Almost Cured of Sadness is another slice of fractured, cathartic songwriting genius. It would fit perfectly as an addition to the Baby Bird boxed set The Original Lo-Fi. ~ Tim DiGravina|