2014-03-02
If the lyrics on this album are at all autobiographical, then Ron Pope doesn't have much luck with the ladies as each song on Calling Off The Dogs deals with the loss and lamentation of relationships (or different stages of the same one).
Poppy harmonies on the opening tracks Lick My Wounds and Empty Page transport the listener back to the 80's and trivialize the depth of the album's lyrical content. However Pope - born 1983 and raised in the Atlanta, GA suburb of Marietta - demonstrates more mature songwriting on the orchestral Push Me Away and Back to Bed, a Midwest tale of loss which even an electronic clap track fails to spoil.
Ron Pope manages to at times both delight and depress with this moody collection of songs which will appeal to fans of Jason Mraz and John Wesley.
Stand-out tracks: Push Me Away (6), Back to Bed (9)
American Music Club
Love Songs for Patriots
Tristen
Caves
UNA
The Rain is Over and Gone
Mansions On The Moon
Mansions on the Moon
BEN HARPER
GIVE TILL IT'S GONE
THE REAL TUESDAY WELD
The London Book of the Dead
The opinions expressed in these reviews are those of the individual volunteers that submitted the article and do not necessarily reflect the views of WYCE or GRCMC; nor its staff, donors, or affiliates.