The Lo-Down: News from the Lower East Side - November, 2010

Joe Rathbone, Mad July

Joe Rathbone has hit all the requisite points on the mid-tier alt/folk circuit; Mountain Stage, Starbucks compilation discs, etc, but where he�s ended up, with his most recent release Mad July, is tremendously well positioned in that critical radio-friendly zone, with a diverse mix of solidly written pop songs, and arrangements that are just different enough ...

The Performing Songwriter - October, 2007

Joe Rathbone, Under the Scorpio Moon

Given the title of Joe Rathbone�s third album, it�s hard to believe the wayfaring artist has stood still long enough to enjoy any lunar sightings. A Philadelphia native, Rathbone�s made his way from New York to Atlanta, working as a wedding singer and music teacher, and now calls Nashville home. But don�t think that his time in the trenches providing tunes for father-daughter dances makes him comparable to a castoff from an Adam Sandler flick. Rathbone�s songs mix melodic, heartland rock with atmospheric flourishes, calling to mind Tom Petty and Joseph Arthur. Tracks such as "Mercury" and "Beautiful Noise" incorporate inventive sonic landscapes, but even among the samples and grooves, Rathbone�s inviting, often tender vocals keep the proceedings human and heartfelt. For an artist who�s seemingly chased his musical muse across the Eastern seaboard, Rathbone�s an engaging, burgeoning talent who has his feet firmly planted on this Moon.

The Philadelphia Inquirer - October 19, 2007

He's based in Nashville now, but when he sings "This Is Where I Come From," Joe Rathbone is talking about Philadelphia.  It's here where he honed his now-considerable chops in the '90s.  "This Is Where . . .," which mentions 69th Street, the Tower Theater and West Philly, comes from his new album, Under the Scorpio Moon, a set that again shows him to be a master pop craftsman.  Sometimes buoyant, sometimes dreamy, and often with an undercurrent of melancholy, there's a classic feel to these 10 melodic tunes as Rathbone consistently finds the sweet spot that links catchiness and heart.

Nashville Scene - August 10, 2007

JOE RATHBONE This melodic rocker loves a good turn of phrase almost as much as he loves an infectious hook. A recent transplant to Nashville from Atlanta, Rathbone still works in the occasional Cheap Trick-style rave-up, but these days he concentrating on a more textured, bittersweet romanticism, reminiscent of Ben Gibbard and Alejandro Escovedo. His new Under the Scorpio Moon deepens his pub rock with modern atmospherics executed with help from co-producer David Henry and Nashville rock vets Brad Jones, Tony Miracle and Craig Wright. Rathbone has been lying low since arriving in town, but his album, which came out July 24, suggests it�s time for his profile to rise in his new hometown. He returns home after a trip to Michigan, where�s he�s playing a Dylan festival and making an appearance on writer Mitch Albom�s syndicated radio show. 9 p.m at the Rutledge.

The Washington Post - August 10, 2007

SINGER-SONGWRITER-GUITARIST Joe Rathbone has seen his share of praise from rock critics who've drawn flattering comparisons to Elvis Costello, Paul Westerberg, Tom Petty and the like. But the best thing about Rathbone's "Under the Scorpio Moon" is that it doesn't attempt to live up to the kudos accorded to his previous CDs with anything other than a series of well-crafted and often subtly arranged songs. In fact, the album's atmospheric moods help set it apart as much as anything else. Augmenting the core roots-rock lineup are cellist David Henry, who also plays keyboards and guitars here, and reedman Jimmy Bowland, on sax, flute and clarinet. Henry's ties to the Cowboy Junkies are evoked from time to time, but Rathbone's songs are solid enough to stand on their own. And never more so than when they come equipped with hook-laden choruses and punchy, Petty-like guitar riffs, as on "Angel," or offer a soaring melody to go along with Rathbone's alternately poetic and pointed lyrics. For a dreamy, guitar-resonating example of the latter, check out "The World (Never Gonna Be the Same)." While Rathbone's voice isn't particularly distinctive, it's soulful enough to get the job done on all but a few songs here. Most of what remains is redeemed by an unusual weave of shimmering and percussive sounds.

PERFORMING SONGWRITER - MAY 2006

Joe Rathbone, I Can Hear the Windows of Your Heart Breaking

Somewhere between Elvis Costello and Joe Jackson lies the voice of Joe Rathbone. The Nashville-based artist sails from atmospheric falsettos to gritty, low refrains, always with an ear for catchy melodies and a clever turn of phrase. �I�m really not so bad, I�m just bad-looking,� he sings in �I�m Gonna Make It Up to You,� attempting to forge a new start with an old love.

Rathbone can marry lyrics and melody together as effortlessly as a Las Vegas preacher, making the solid unions seem fluid and easy. �Love is like a costume, go and hang it on a wall / You can tell your mother that you lost your favorite doll,� Rathbone sings in �You Make the World Go �Round,� while bass, drums and piano float sweetly along, dotting the sonic landscape like cotton-candy clouds. Longing for music that�s well-crafted and refreshingly original? Take a listen to this record, and watch out for shards of glass as Joe Rathbone breaks the windows of your heart. (www.joerathbone.com)

ACOUSTIC GUITAR MAGAZINE - April 2005, No.148 - By Drew Pearce

Joe Rathbone, I Can Hear the Windows of Your Heart Breaking

�Learning to fly / Dipping a wing in the ocean / No, you�re not high . . . Your heart is finally in motion,� Joe Rathbone sings in the opening track of his second album. Over waves of distorted guitar chords, his falsetto vocal melody glides along as gracefully as the gull described in the lyrics. On the instrumental break, cello and guitar lines follow and circle each other like birds in formation, giving a subtle new dimension to the words. Throughout this CD, Rathbone shows a remarkable knack for this kind of synergistic songcraft. The arrangements are taut yet spacious, occasionally dressed up with masterful cello work by coproducer David Henry, and the recording eschews flashy studio gimmicks; it simply lets you inside the songs and leaves you humming the choruses, especially on cuts like the title track and �Lookin� for Me.� Most importantly, it captures key sonic details, such as the crack of the snare and the crunchy tone of Rathbone�s Gibson ES-125, edging the songs toward the rock side of folk-rock. (Zakz, www.joerathbone.com)

NO DEPRESSION - JULY/AUGUST 2004

When it comes to pop/rock comparatives, three always get my attention: Nick Lowe, Elvis Costello, Tom Petty. Atlanta transplant Joe Rathbone occasionally sounds like an amalgam of the three. His music unites top-shelf hook-a-minute pop songwriting and a pleasing soulful voice. The sensitive-guy vocal chops include liberal use of falsetto that adds moments of call-and-response or ear-catching tonal color a la Brian Wilson.

While there is a certain sentimental fa�ade, producer David Henry manages to keep the arrangements firmly locked into rock grooves, and the result is an album on which every song sounds like an adult alternative radio single. Rathbone�s modus operand us is the intimate conversational touch, but beefy grooves and the crunchy ring in his electric guitar keep the music from swerving across that deadly saccharin center stripe.

Songs such as �Learning to Fly� and �You Make the World Go Round� make it no stretch to believe Rathbone is a former wedding singer turned music teacher, while �Take Me With You� rocks hard and shows he can spin an edgy hipster tale when he�s not in love song mode.

The incredibly catchy �Everything�s About to Be Beautiful� is a cutting snarled-lip narrative that would fit seamlessly into Costello�s classic �This Year�s Model.� �You spent seven years workin� on a brand new style/Big bad eyes, big bad beautiful smile/Everything�s about to be beautiful.� Just more pure pop for now people.

PASTE MAGAZINE - AUG/SEP 2004

Joe Rathbone projects a tempered hopefulness in his songs. In the opening tune, �Learning to Fly� he establishes the album�s low key, gently self deprecating mood intoning � I�ve been waiting for you / You�ve been waiting for me / Let�s go for a walk / Forget about these terrible things.� There�s something simple and eminently real about understated sentiments such as these. Echoes of Tom Petty, Marshall Crenshaw and the Finn Brothers permeate the disc and an Elvis Costello influence occasionally surfaces. Rathbone however carefully shuns Costello�s tendency toward verbosity and vitriol.

The moving portrait �Hometown Queen� reveals another of the album�s strengths: Rathbone�s and co-producer David Henry�s (Guster, Josh Rouse) attention to detail. The subtle use of strings deepens the tunes inherent melancholia��he�s fashioned a thoroughly winning pop album filled with strong melodies and well-turned lyrics

VINTAGE GUITAR - JUNE 2004

The trick to creating a perfect pop confection revolves around getting the mix between sweet and sour just right. Joe Rathbone's songs prove that he has the recipe down pat. Every song on his second solo release, I Can Hear The Windows of Your Heart Breaking, displays a level of songwriting savvy usually associated with contemporary masters like Elvis Costello or Nick Lowe. Rathbone's songs are both fresh and familiar, groundbreaking yet classic.

Great pop music requires that songs be mated with performances and arrangements that "deliver" the music. Joe Rathbone's voice, with its strong falsetto, reminds me of Joe Jackson grafted onto Brian Wilson. The arrangements echo back to the Knack, Beatles, Todd Rundgren, and ELO. Layered musical textures combining dual keyboard and guitar solos, all mated with crunchy electric guitar sounds, make every song a sonic treat, a rocky road ice cream bar full of complementary tastes. Every song displays an attention to sonic detail that borders on excessive. No song escapes getting the star treatment complete with cleverly multi-tracked and carefully processed vocals. But all this studio effort succeeds spectacularly. Instead of sounding fussy and rarefied, the final result yields vibrant yet sophisticated rock and roll.

Obviously producer/engineer David Henry should share in the kudos for this album. All the songs were recorded in his studio. Without his superb production skills and extensive hours of production time this album couldn't have turned out as sonically stellar as it has. Other members of the David family also contributed their skills. Brother Jeff, played cello, bass, and mandolin, while his twin brother Ned added violin parts. The only other musician was Craig Wright on drums and percussion. Joe Rathbone handled all guitars, piano, keyboards, and vocals besides writing all the songs. Whew!

I'm a jaded old sod. On average I listen to ten new CDs per week. Although I listen to everything that comes in the mail chute, many releases get only a perfunctory listen because they don't have the musical substance to grab me. I Can Hear The Windows of Your Heart Breaking was an exception. It caught me within the first ten seconds and didn't let go till the last cut. Great pop music can do that. I Can Hear The Windows of Your Heart Breaking has the right stuff.

MILES OF MUSIC.COM - APRIL 2004

JOE RATHBONE - I Can Hear The Windows Of Your Heart Breaking In kicking off his latest record, Joe Rathbone displays such a gripping degree of "laid back" you fear he's going to fall right off of the opening track, "Learning To Fly". But then, back on ground, Rathbone eases in to his lush, shimmering, roots-tinged pop with deliberate intent, tuneful craftiness and a sharp tongue. Creative vocal melodies, warm fuzzy guitars, and the occasional -and very tastefully arranged - cello and violin all make this effort golden. The Atlanta, GA publication Creative Loafing describes the man and his music as "Equal parts contemplation, confession and celebration, the easy-going pop delivery of Joe Rathbone achieves a personal connection without being overly sentimental." They refer to the track "Everything's About to Be Beautiful" as "a catchy bit of ear candy", but his songs are so strong and likeable you could say that to be true of each one. (Zakz Records) CD $12.99

VILLAGE VOICE CHOICE - APRIL 14, 2004

Atlanta transplant Rathbone has a soft Tom Petty�type voice with some fine falsetto skills, which does justice to his mellow pop sound. He�s celebrating a new release, I Can Hear the Windows of Your Heart Breaking.

NASHVILLE RAGE - APRIL 1, 2004

Joe Rathbone, the latest artist to pass through noted Nashvillian David Henry's studio (past people include David Mead, Josh Rouse, Neilson Hubbard). Rathbone fits perfectly into that chain of artists, with a similarly classic songwriting sensibility, a flexible and melancholy tenor, and beautifully majestic, ethereal roots-pop flourishes.

NASHVILLE TIMES - PICK OF THE WEEK - JULY 15, 2004

I Can Hear the Windows of Your Heart Breaking casts an unusually poetic tone for the title of a rock LP, and it's a good indication of what Atlanta's Joe Rathbone offers. His second album, which was co-produced by Nashvillian David Henry, features insinuating melodies and sharply drawn images. Rathbone's concise songcraft draws comparisons to Tom Petty and Elvis Costello, which is understandable, but his melodic know-how and the way he cuts his tenderness with a bittersweet edge also are reminiscent of power-pop master Bill Lloyd. Rathbone sings with a clear, carefully enunciated voice that climbs into an expressive falsetto, and when he bites into a line like, "I can make it funny / I can make it sick / I can drip like honey till you really get your kick," you believe him. That kick likely will be even more apparent live. The 5 Spot

ATLANTA CREATIVE LOAFING - MARCH 2004

The Tom Petty comparison is something Rathbone must be used to, judging from his press accolades, all pointing out the lead Heartbreakers� influence. Remember: Springsteen couldn�t escape Dylan at first and look where that got him. Like the aforementioned legends, Rathbone�s a singer/songwriter at heart. Lyrically, he has more in common with Elvis Costello, a fact best illustrated in the song �Everything�s About to be Beautiful.� It�s a catchy bit of ear candy, and you will have no idea what he�s singing until you actually sit down to read the lyrics. Even then, you�re still kinda scratching your head, but like any worthwhile song with a pop sensibility, all you wanna do is listen to it again.

STOMP AND STAMMER - MARCH 2004

Fresh off a two-month long residency at Smith�s Olde Bar, Joe Rathbone presents us with his new ten-song disc, I Can Hear the Windows of Your Heart Breaking. Upon first hearing Rathbone a couple years back, I recognized a smart, talented, instantly likeable singer-songwriter in the classic pop-rock mold, and this release only warms my appreciation of him. This cat�s got a future in the so-called adult-alternative market.

POST-CRESCENT - APPLETON, WI - MARCH 2004

There�s a stately, loping grace and typical dreamy air to the opening of Joe Rathbone�s �Learning to Fly,� the gorgeous lead-off tune on his new release, I Can Hear the Windows of Your Heart Breaking. Rathbone crafts lush, shimmering pop gems, centered around his familiar yet unique vocals. Most people hear Elvis Costello in Rathbone�s voice, though Elvis can�t do a falsetto the way Joe can. This outing may be even hookier than his 2002 release, Welcome to Your New Life, which was filled with ear candy, especially �Victory Girl,� which took months to drive from your brain after hearing it. But isn�t that the mark of a good song? How long it takes to stop it looping through your brain? Rathbone showed when he played solo at Mongo�s last year that his hooks are inherent in his music, not just dependent on a backbeat and bass line.

MIDWEST RECORD RECAP - CHICAGO, IL - APRIL 7, 2004

JOE RATHBONE/I Can Hear the Windows of Your Heart Breaking: The vocals make comparisons to Elvis Costello inevitable, but overall, it's a cheap and easy shot. Rathbone has been honing his own chops and he's a smart songwriter with a little bit of a row to hoe to make it clear he's his own man at the end of the day. A solid 3A/alt.adult session that wears it's determination on it's sleeve, so much so that he's touring with Amy Rigby. This is a voice that will eventually break out without having to go on "American Idol". 433 (Zakz)