Caught in the Carousel

John Milstead

Sides of the Soul

John Milstead

Sides Of The Soul by Mississippi-based John Milstead is a collection of Southern roots rock that is well written, well sung and infinitely frustrating. Although Milstead is in possession of a decent voice and musical chops, the songs here are neither original nor inspired. He moves in and out of late seventies Jackson Browne with little remorse. Milstead's biggest shortcoming isn't his copycat vocal delivery or his occasionally irresponsibly simplistic lyrics; it's his inability to do any of the above with any type of originality. There's no shortage of singer/songwriters out there doing the exact same thing. Names like McCain, Barnes, Wertz, and DeGraw come to mind. All of whom are entrenched in the down home southern pop thing, but have the ability to make music that is both recognizable and original.

It's not all bad for Milstead, though. His album brings up a very good question: is there room in the current musical landscape for unapologetically earnest music? Sadly, it's doubtful. The album does have a couple of bright moments. "Don't Believe in Love" contains a fantastic loop, which interacts with some first-rate violin work. "Easy Goodbye" is also a highlight. It's possible that the current trend towards EPs may have been the better route for Milstead. The 4 or 5 best tracks off the album may have better served the intentions of the singer and gotten his point across without leading the listener down a much longer path. Which, incidentally, is filled with one having to stifle creative profanity just to get through it.

When it's all said and done, John Milstead is clearly a much, much better artist than what is represented on this disk. Next time around maybe he'll turn off his turntable, punch his originality time card and sing accordingly.

—Shawn Brown