Mark Erelli - Delivered

Mark Erelli's last album was titled Hope and Other Casualties, indicating that perhaps hope was on its last days. This time around, on Delivered, Erelli opens the disc with an answer to his own provocation: "Hope Dies Last." It's an indication of how vastly things can change in the course of a couple of years. However, luckily, what hasn't changed is Erelli's ability to nail a good topical ballad. It's only too bad there aren't more of them on this disc.

Truth in the Quiet Songs

Erelli comes right out of the gate with what proves to be the best song on the disc: "Hope Dies Last." The tune is ambitious in scope, but Erelli crafted it well. He starts in a morning routine and allows the story to grow to encompass worldwide disasters, before shrinking back to the personal in a moment so small it's a whisper. In addition to being a haunting, honest account of how the political informs the personal and vice versa, the song also sets the stage for what turns out to be a deeply topical disc. Then again, you can hardly expect less from Erelli.

"Volunteers" is a heart-wrenching tribute to National Guard soldiers who were called to serve in Iraq. Balancing the difficult line between supporting the troops and opposing the war, Erelli leans heavy on the first-person narrative, and it works well. There's a melody and a tenor guitar in there, but it's secondary to the vocals, and its arrangement is impeccable for the background.

Similarly, "Not Alone" is a heartbreaking look at how it feels to care so much in a world that often seems not to care at all. Its rollercoaster of sound is mostly good, until it lets loose at the end and starts to feel like it went on a little too long. Luckily, the title track follows, with its most personal lyrics and quiet, haunting, foggy atmosphere. It's a close contender for one of the strongest songs on the disc, and it makes up for any extravagances afforded on the track that precedes it.

The Bottom Line

Mark Erelli is a terrific topical songwriter, there's no question about it. Although his "rockers" are intense and well-instrumentalized, Erelli is at his best on the quiet, contemplative numbers. It's good that the faster songs are in there for the sake of variety, but they don't seem as natural and complete when juxtaposed with their slower, quieter peers.

As a whole, Delivered is an excellent progression from Erelli's last disc. It'll be interesting to see where he goes the next time around. No doubt, his songwriting gets better year over year, and his fans are surely pleased with this effort, with good reason.