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Written by Ryan Parker Tuesday, 10 June 2008 11:06

As good as Bloom's music is, his lyrics are what make him stand out.

Nearly four years after the release of the critically acclaimed (Songs From) The Pink Sofa, Patrick Bloom has finally followed up with his second album, Moses. It's almost hard to believe that a guy like Bloom—who has won numerous awards for music and been spotlighted often for his song writing—has only released two solo albums in his career. However, on Moses he demonstrates that goods things are often worth waiting for.

Bloom uses many styles of American grass roots music to make songs that are very familiar and easily approachable. One will hear folk guitar rhythms overlaid with blues and country western electric leads on several tracks. Then, before the listener gets too settled in, the next song will have an alt country feel, with banjo picking and pedal steel guitars layered in. The song "Jerusalem" has some great guitar pickin' reminiscent of Bert Jansch. Bloom ties all these different styles together with just enough pop to catch the attention of the casual listener. This makes this a great album to play at a dinner party or just driving around with friends on a Saturday afternoon.

As good as Bloom's music is, his lyrics are what make him stand out. Bloom writes about real people and places. He seems to have the knack for taking the very ordinary in life and dissecting it to show the true unappreciated beauty of everyday life. This is especially true on the song "Dixie Royal Lanes," in which he makes the very average setting of a bowling tournament sound like Napoleon's Coronation. He even describes how a 400-pound woman moves with grace and beauty, and for those moments she is bowling, she is light as a bird. Bloom also deals with the idea that sometimes it doesn't seem like our existence even matters. On the song "Queen of Oklahoma," he sings of a girl who desperately wants to escape her going nowhere life but asks if anyone will even notice when she is gone.

Though there is nothing groundbreaking on Moses, everything is constructed very well and with heart. Bloom lays down a very solid album of time-proven Americana music and then tops it off with poetic lyrics. Moses is genuine and true album of one man's perspective of middle class America without all the clichés you might hear in a country pop song. In the end, Bloom keeps it simple, which in effect makes it terrific. B+ | Ryan Parker