Press & Reviews

CMJ
New Music Report
Issue 497 November 4, 1996
Short Shots

James BLOCK likes to describe his music as "anti-folk", but on "future's Coming On Too Fast," from Lead Me Not Into Penn Station (Burning Bush, 88 Lexington Ave. #6H, New York, NY 10016 212.696.1549), he portrays himself as an inheritor of the folk-rock tradition. Fortunately, Block reaches deeper than most for a strong back beat, and never mentions squirrels, baby‚s bottoms, daddy‚s snowy grave or any other beaten-to-death folk clichés. His focus is on personal, social and political issues, which he describes poetically. Songs such as "Rhinoceros" and "Reuben Says" sound like Dylan on a rocking night playing 60s American pop, but with a contemporary attitude. Cool website, too...