“Charlie Sexton” album review

CHARLIE SEXTON (MCA)

Charlie Sexton’s self-titled second album doesn’t make as strong an impact as his debut Pictures For Pleasure. But just when you’re ready to accuse of him of suffering from the sophomore slump, Sexton’s skillful guitarwork and deep, emoting voice convince you he’s worth believing in.

You’d have thought that after Sexton took all the flak for sounding too “produced” on his debut, he would’ve infused some of the scrappy style he picked up playing lead guitar with the likes of Joe Ely. But he’s chosen the route he seems to want to make a career of – playing rock ‘n’ roll, modern style, with more synthesizer than twang.

Sexton’s best songs are the ones he collaborated on with Arthur Barrow and the oddly named Tonio K, the ones where Sexton’s guitar playing has just enough raunchiness to add kick to songs like “While You Sleep” and the otherwise unnoteworthy first single “Don’t Look Back.”

While his musicianship is undeniably brilliant, his voice will be his ticket to the big-time rock sweepstakes. He’s equally adept at bal lads and rockers and has a beguiling, whispering quality that makes you sit up and listen to the lyrics. Granted, most of his lyrics still have a fairly pedestrian quality, but they’ll mature as he does.

When Sexton made his debut as a 17-year old wunderkind, it was easy to exploit his youth, But at this point, his age is irrelevant. At 20, Sexton’s not that much younger than many of his heroes were when they made their major debuts.