You have to love this strong a comeback, because they really don’t come often enough. In the early ‘80s, Marshall Crenshaw made an immediate mark as a singer-songwriter of exceptional talent. He had a way of synthesizing several elements of past masters into a new style; he was never retro but still always informed by the past. Crenshaw took over New York like a man afire, and his early hit “Someday, Someway” stands as a sonic monument to the time. For a few years it really looked like he was going all the way. And he almost did, but like most popular music sensations, it didn’t last forever. The albums kept coming until about six years ago when they stopped. Maybe it took Crenshaw that long to come up with a collection of his strongest songs, or maybe he just lost the drive. Either way doesn’t matter, because Jaggedland is as good as anything he’s ever done. There is a freshness of spirit to all these songs, like the artist is just starting out instead of being 30 years into a career. Crenshaw’s voice is soulfully right on, and his guitars are as sharp and stinging as they ever were. With a band that includes drummer Jim Keltner, steel guitarist Greg Leisz and vibes player Emil Richards (!), there is no way for the music to miss. Special mention: Crenshaw and Kelly Ryan’s “Passing Through.” If ever a song captured the fleeting nature of time, this is it: “This world is moving and changing always/We’d better be about new days/For as long as we may/We’re just passing through/Just passing through this way.” The tenderness in Marshall Crenshaw’s voice lets you know this is someone who understands where he’s been, and where he still may go. He also knows to appreciate the difference.
— 07/14/2009
http://www.sonicboomers.com/albumreviews/marshall-crenshaw
by Bill Bentley