Americana Music Reviews

Joe Pisapia
Daydreams
Ambassador Records
by William Pugatch

The name Joe Pisapia has been appearing around the Nashville music scene for a while. He and his brother have a band aptly named Joe, Marc's Brother. Look deeply inside some of the liner notes to your favorite CDs and you will see that Joe Pisapia has contributed vocals and his guitar and banjo-playing talents to the efforts of artists ranging from Radney Foster to The Kinleys. Now Pisapia has released his first solo project, a feel-good disc titled Daydreams.

The album begins with the title track, which is thirty seconds of mood setting for the rest of this beautifully constructed concept album. Light, ethereal guitar harmonics are placed delicately atop plucked string bass as we are introduced to Joe Pisapia's gravity-defying voice.

"Empty" begins with a stately theme on an acoustic guitar that becomes a recurring motif throughout the song. String orchestrations enrich the instrumentation and the harmonies are reminiscent of those that can be found in the music of Fiona Apple. These lush harmonies are a very effective driving device; the piece builds with its soaring melodic lines so naturally, goose bumps creep up on you. In "Empty," Pisapia is suggesting that not everything in life has to be understood, as it is oftentimes better to have life "happen" rather than to get bogged down in the most specific details. This is why it is great to be able to dream, making this song an appropriate choice to begin Pisapia's musical journey.

After the album's fanfare has concluded, Pisapia switches gears with "Sometimes," a delicious little romp featuring syncopated banjo picking and the addition of drums. You will want to run into the other room to grab your washboard and play along. The timbre of Pisapia's voice in the song conjures up John Popper from Blues Traveler.

You will likely need a cool-down after that three-minute workout, so Pisapia slows things down with "Swimming Song," a delicate, introspective song. One of the great things about dreams is that they offer us a place to escape.

Problems of this world
Take away your time
Put you out of touch
But if blue's the sky
And it's summertime
Then you are in luck
Find a place to jump into the blue
You'll find your troubles soon leaving you
Floating, drifting on a wave or a ripple
Suddenly everything is simple
And if this summer lasts forever so be it.

In "River Song," the banjo returns and combines with acoustic guitar to create a flowing musical current.

River, River, while you go racing by
There's a thousand little questions in my mind
River, River, with hemlocks by your side
Do you ever get the feeling that you're tired
And would you tell me if you did

Nature's cycles are a great place to study the philosophies of life. Nature is all about cycles. There are seasons; there are good days and bad days. However, the difference between us and nature is that we are thinkers and feelers, which leads Pisapia to ponder:

There's a lot here in my soul that I don't know
And I may never ever know
I look at you ­ you let it go
You make it look so easy.

"Tell Me You're Mine" is a tune about one-way love. Unrequited love or the illusion of being in love is another common daydream. The beginning of the song has Pisapia singing over piano in the style of Bruce Hornsby from the That's The Way It Is days.

The track "Home" is as interesting as they come. In this one-minute plus interlude, you will hear the sounds of Joe's morning routine, as he has set personal grooming chores like brushing of teeth and shaving to music. Through this track and a few other instances on the album, one can pick up on the fact that Pisapia is one quirky individual, which adds even more to his charm.

NBC has changed the theme song for its hit comedy "Ed" each season. If they are looking for good candidates in the future, I would strongly suggest the next track, "I'm Coming Home Soon." It is a short and sweet song featuring sweeping strings, it showcases Pisapia's fingerstyle guitar playing, and it has one of the best bridges I have heard in years.

"That's Enough" is an ode to the simple pleasures in life. When Pisapia finds himself overwhelmed because he has too much, he reflects "I've got a starry sky / I've got a sunrise / And that's enough." The ensuing track "Sooner Than Later" features two minutes of Pisapia's competent and touching falsetto.

"Dancing Partner" is chock full of Gershwin-like piano rolls and arpeggios that provide a dynamic foundation over which Pisapia relates the poignant story of a 94-year-old woman who continues to miss her husband who passed on twenty-seven years prior. "When they play that music / I turn the other way / Since my dancing partner's away." The story of a love that strong that has continued in spirit is an inspirational one that many of us can only dream of having.

Most of Pisapia's songs contain fewer than fifty words (see "Forevermore" or "That's Enough") but he is still able to instill emotions and convey adages concisely and precisely. This is because Joe Pisapia is a painter - both in the sense of a visual artist, exemplified by his album cover artwork, and as a word painter.

The jewel of the album lies at the end of the disc. On "Daydreams II," Pisapia plays jazzy-classical flowing acoustic guitar that is in the same league as the playing of Laurindo Almeida. This thirty-seven seconds of instrumental introduces the final track "Lullaby," a musical good-night from Pisapia to a past lover. The song begins with a reflection of the pair's time together with his voice backed up by sweeping guitar rhythms and brushed snare drums. By the end of the song, the tempo slows and a sweet lullaby duet emerges softly, winding down like a music box. The album closes with a reprise of the original "Daydreams" theme and fades leaving the listener in a calm state after experiencing a wonderful album.

It is refreshing to find an artist like Pisapia whose compositions sound so unlike anything else out there right now. The only downside to this is that his music is not going to be radio friendly at all. One would be hard pressed to find a track that could fit into a format. The best candidate would be the lively "Sometimes" which has some pop in it as well as that necessary opening trailer. With this album the parts are more enjoyable when listened to as a whole, the songs like chapters in a novel or pieces of artwork in an exhibit. It is just unfortunate that Pisapia will not likely get the exposure he deserves.

Nonetheless, the rays from the sun are shining down on Joe Pisapia, who has a bright future ahead of him. In his quest to achieve his musical dreams, he has succeeded in reminding us why our own dreams are so special. If you would like to listen to an album that will leave you on Cloud Nine, then put an hour aside, find a comfortable chair, surround yourself with beautiful scenery, pour a glass of sweet tea, and let Joe Pisapia transport you to a better place. With the holidays coming up, this is a perfect album to give as an inspirational gift.

* Visit www.joepisapia.com to learn more about Joe's music and career. With music that is so perfectly intimate, you may decide to bring him right into your living room for a performance (an actual option). May all your dreams come true!

 
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