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Singer and songwriter Andy Shauf is frequently praised for his skill in drawing his characters and crafting interesting scenarios for them. In that respect, 2023's Norm is very much typical of his work. In nearly every other respect, this finds him bravely exploring new sonic and thematic territory. In the most surprising change, one of the characters playing a key role in Shauf's narrative is God -- if you haven't seen the video for the song "Wasted on You" or read the lyrics sheet where Me" and "You" are often capitalized, you might not have immediately guessed Shauf was singing about the Supreme Being, but once the tunesmith has tipped his hand, the divinity of one of his protagonists is rather obvious. Norm is a song cycle in which four characters are trying to sort out their feelings about others and how they should act on them, and it seems the Lord's indecision about his Only Begotten Son isn't that much different than the title character drawing a blank about how to approach the person they saw at the supermarket. (Shauf's concern about the craft of these songs is such that he credits a story editor in the liner notes.) Musically, the folkie slant of Shauf's melodies has given way to airy performances with R&B and jazz accents, and keyboards often dominate the arrangements instead of guitar. Shauf clearly didn't want to repeat himself, and he hasn't, even though the soft suede of his voice still dominates the tracks, seeming even stronger when his characters are in emotional retreat. One might be tempted to play this story for laughs, and it's commendable this album feels straightforward and sincere, even at its least plausible and possibly blasphemous. If God is a metaphor as much as a spiritual presence in Norm, Shauf thinks his dilemma is as real and as worthy of serious thought as that of the human beings sharing the stage, and it's the strength of the songwriting that makes this audacious premise work. Remember back in the '90s when Joan Osborne wondered out loud about "What if God was one of us? Just a slob like one of us?" Maybe she and Andy Shauf should talk about it some time.
© Mark Deming /TiVo
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Mike Bozzi, MasteringEngineer - Neal H Pogue, Mixer - Andy Shauf, Composer, Lyricist, Engineer, MainArtist - SONGS OF THE MOTHERSHIP, MusicPublisher
2023 Andy Shauf, under exclusive license to Anti 2022 Andy Shauf, under exclusive license to Anti
Mike Bozzi, MasteringEngineer - Neal H Pogue, Mixer - Andy Shauf, Composer, Lyricist, Engineer, MainArtist - SONGS OF THE MOTHERSHIP, MusicPublisher
2023 Andy Shauf, under exclusive license to Anti 2022 Andy Shauf, under exclusive license to Anti
Mike Bozzi, MasteringEngineer - Neal H Pogue, Mixer - Andy Shauf, Composer, Lyricist, Engineer, MainArtist - SONGS OF THE MOTHERSHIP, MusicPublisher
2023 Andy Shauf, under exclusive license to Anti 2023 Andy Shauf, under exclusive license to Anti
Mike Bozzi, MasteringEngineer - Neal H Pogue, Mixer - Andy Shauf, Composer, Lyricist, Engineer, MainArtist - SONGS OF THE MOTHERSHIP, MusicPublisher
2023 Andy Shauf, under exclusive license to Anti 2023 Andy Shauf, under exclusive license to Anti
Mike Bozzi, MasteringEngineer - Neal H Pogue, Mixer - Andy Shauf, Composer, Lyricist, Engineer, MainArtist - SONGS OF THE MOTHERSHIP, MusicPublisher
2023 Andy Shauf, under exclusive license to Anti 2023 Andy Shauf, under exclusive license to Anti
Mike Bozzi, MasteringEngineer - Neal H Pogue, Mixer - Andy Shauf, Composer, Lyricist, Engineer, MainArtist - SONGS OF THE MOTHERSHIP, MusicPublisher
2023 Andy Shauf, under exclusive license to Anti 2023 Andy Shauf, under exclusive license to Anti
Mike Bozzi, MasteringEngineer - Neal H Pogue, Mixer - Andy Shauf, Composer, Lyricist, Engineer, MainArtist - SONGS OF THE MOTHERSHIP, MusicPublisher
2023 Andy Shauf, under exclusive license to Anti 2023 Andy Shauf, under exclusive license to Anti
Mike Bozzi, MasteringEngineer - Neal H Pogue, Mixer - Andy Shauf, Composer, Lyricist, Engineer, MainArtist - SONGS OF THE MOTHERSHIP, MusicPublisher
2023 Andy Shauf, under exclusive license to Anti 2023 Andy Shauf, under exclusive license to Anti
Mike Bozzi, MasteringEngineer - Neal H Pogue, Mixer - Andy Shauf, Composer, Lyricist, Engineer, MainArtist - SONGS OF THE MOTHERSHIP, MusicPublisher
2023 Andy Shauf, under exclusive license to Anti 2023 Andy Shauf, under exclusive license to Anti
Mike Bozzi, MasteringEngineer - Neal H Pogue, Mixer - Andy Shauf, Composer, Lyricist, Engineer, MainArtist - SONGS OF THE MOTHERSHIP, MusicPublisher
2023 Andy Shauf, under exclusive license to Anti 2023 Andy Shauf, under exclusive license to Anti
Mike Bozzi, MasteringEngineer - Neal H Pogue, Mixer - Andy Shauf, Composer, Lyricist, Engineer, MainArtist - SONGS OF THE MOTHERSHIP, MusicPublisher
2023 Andy Shauf, under exclusive license to Anti 2023 Andy Shauf, under exclusive license to Anti
Mike Bozzi, MasteringEngineer - Neal H Pogue, Mixer - Andy Shauf, Composer, Lyricist, Engineer, MainArtist - SONGS OF THE MOTHERSHIP, MusicPublisher
2023 Andy Shauf, under exclusive license to Anti 2023 Andy Shauf, under exclusive license to Anti
Album review
Singer and songwriter Andy Shauf is frequently praised for his skill in drawing his characters and crafting interesting scenarios for them. In that respect, 2023's Norm is very much typical of his work. In nearly every other respect, this finds him bravely exploring new sonic and thematic territory. In the most surprising change, one of the characters playing a key role in Shauf's narrative is God -- if you haven't seen the video for the song "Wasted on You" or read the lyrics sheet where Me" and "You" are often capitalized, you might not have immediately guessed Shauf was singing about the Supreme Being, but once the tunesmith has tipped his hand, the divinity of one of his protagonists is rather obvious. Norm is a song cycle in which four characters are trying to sort out their feelings about others and how they should act on them, and it seems the Lord's indecision about his Only Begotten Son isn't that much different than the title character drawing a blank about how to approach the person they saw at the supermarket. (Shauf's concern about the craft of these songs is such that he credits a story editor in the liner notes.) Musically, the folkie slant of Shauf's melodies has given way to airy performances with R&B and jazz accents, and keyboards often dominate the arrangements instead of guitar. Shauf clearly didn't want to repeat himself, and he hasn't, even though the soft suede of his voice still dominates the tracks, seeming even stronger when his characters are in emotional retreat. One might be tempted to play this story for laughs, and it's commendable this album feels straightforward and sincere, even at its least plausible and possibly blasphemous. If God is a metaphor as much as a spiritual presence in Norm, Shauf thinks his dilemma is as real and as worthy of serious thought as that of the human beings sharing the stage, and it's the strength of the songwriting that makes this audacious premise work. Remember back in the '90s when Joan Osborne wondered out loud about "What if God was one of us? Just a slob like one of us?" Maybe she and Andy Shauf should talk about it some time.
© Mark Deming /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 12 track(s)
- Total length: 00:36:16
- Main artists: Andy Shauf
- Composer: Andy Shauf
- Label: Anti - Epitaph
- Genre: Pop/Rock Rock Alternative & Indie
2023 Andy Shauf, under exclusive license to Anti 2023 Andy Shauf, under exclusive license to Anti
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