Another New World – Josh Ritter Another New World – Josh Ritter

It’s hard to find an artist who can pull off simplistic well—flashy and shocking seem to be all the rage now—but Josh Ritter does just that on his new album, So Runs the World Away.  The title of the album was the first thing that caught me about Ritter’s new work. It’s just so simple and honest, like his music. Now, this does not in any way, shape or form, mean that his music is boring and doldrum. It just means it’s perfect for writing your latest paper or to blast through the speakers in Starbucks.

Another New World is one of the later tracks, and the most memorable. Ritter shows that he is more than just a musician with the lyrics he penned for this piece. They’re poetic and detailed, surpassing the usual standards for a musician’s songwriting skills. This poetic trend is not only found in this song, but in many others on the album.  Ritter’s knowledge of history is also present within his poetic lyrics. Science and Egypt seem to find their way into the hypnotic tune that is The Curse, forcing it to be much more than a typical love song. I mean, how often do you hear an artist singing about how an archaeologist fell for a mummy?

Southern Pacific rides the wave of the classic American trying to find “someplace new.” Rattling Locks expresses existentialism at its finest, but is poorly put together, giving off an air of “I just want to wail on my guitar for a few minutes,” and The Remnant is simply that, a remnant.  Ritter manages to channel two musical geniuses on this album though. Lark is a nice head bobbing song featuring a seemingly Paul Simon inspired vocal performance. Following the Simon vocal trend, but drawing in Bob Dylan as well, Lantern adds a little rock to this array of mellow tunes.

Though So Runs the World Away isn’t as alluring as his earlier album, The Historical Conquests of John Ritter, Ritter manages to prove that he truly is a brilliant lyricist with a mind that few musicians seem to possess these days. However, there is nothing else genuinely special about his work. It is soothing and simplistic, but fails to stand out in a crowd, especially in the instrumental department, earning him three out of five bees.