Maplewood
Maplewood
(Tee Pee Records)
Maplewood's debut, self-titled album has all the breeze of a fine summer day without a gray cloud in sight. It is bright and pleasant, with three-part harmonies and acoustic guitars to spare.
There is a lightness and quiet intimacy to Maplewood so easy-going it almost makes itself unnoticeable. By going for broke with songs that are exceedingly kind on the ear, it's tough to expect much more than a few sweet melodies.
With California rock reminiscent of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and the Byrds, Maplewood's music doesn't need to be very deep or even offer much variety, but it would certainly help. The harmonies from Steve Koester, Mark Rozzo and Craig Schoen have whispered beauty, but they grow somewhat stale after 25 straight minutes of the same thing.
This is not to say that the entire album has nothing to offer, but it takes a while getting there. About two-thirds of the album lurch by before the band gets its bearings and puts together a song that's as engaging as it is pleasant.
Unfortunately, the first nine songs offer little distinction and too few thematic changes to separate from one another. \Be My Friend"" and ""Indian Summer"" are highlights, but only because they have a quick step instead of the usual slow pulse. Thankfully, the last four tracks wipe away any early disappointment.
With ""Think it Through"" the album adds a touch of bitterness to its otherwise sweet tracks. The song drops the layered vocals and lets Rozzo step lightly during its three heavenly minutes. The reason ""Think it Through"" is better than the songs before it is that there's an unexpected ease to it, not the same solace told with different chords.
With ""Carolina Jasmine"" and ""Desert Queen,"" Maplewood closes the album with some tales of broken hearts instead of just a happy voice. The songs offer the bit of pity and pain that's missing from their other tracks, and enough to compensate for it.
Where the early tracks can be summed up with lyrics like ""Little dreamer girl, summer's almost over / Lean your head back and lay in the clover,"" ""Desert Queen"" has some necessary sadness.
It took a while but the band finally shows off some range of emotion and musicianship. Early on the album has nothing new and seems to go nowhere, but it picks up by the end.
