The 1970’s have been unfairly maligned by some rock critics. To hear them tell it, punk, new wave, and Bruce Springsteen gave us just about the only music of value in the 70’s. But truth be told, a wide variety of great music was recorded during that decade: p-funk and Philadelphia soul, jazz-rock fusion, metal, hard rock, the salsa of Fania Records, punk, and new wave. The 70’s were also a very productive time for folk-rock, and the folk-rock of that generation is a major inspiration for the Seattle-based group Don’t Ask on Nothing (originally released in 2002 on their own label, Wily Wombat Wecords). Not everything on this album is folk-rock. Some of it is more along the lines of 1970’s soft rock. But then, folk-rock and soft rock often went hand-in-hand back then. People who were Carly Simon fans were also likely to be Joan Baez or Janis Ian fans in those days.
Whether folk-rock or soft rock, Nothing is an album that is usually mindful of the mellower side of the 1970’s. The direct or indirect influences on Nothing include, among others, Gordon Lightfoot, Paul Simon, Seals & Crofts, Dan Fogelberg and Crosby, Stills & Nash. Don’t Ask leader Todd Christoffel, in fact, favors a vocal style that recalls Seal & Crofts’ Dash Croft. And like so many people in the folk-rock world, Don’t Ask are big on the troubadour tradition. They are effective storytellers, and storytelling is exactly what they do on contemplative, reflective offerings such as “Seattle Day,” “Eye of the Storm,” “The Still Voice Believes,” and the title song (which is the opening track).
Folk-rock has long been known for its odes to the sea, and there is plenty of water imagery employed on “Seattle Day,” “Sailing on the Moment” and the moody “Eye of the Storm.” Seattle, of course, is a coastal city, which is a good thing for Don’t Ask; they obviously use that coastal environment as a source of creative inspiration. Whether the city is Boston, Liverpool, Belfast, Marseilles or Seattle, there is just something about coastal cities that makes singer/songwriters and folk-rockers want to write and perform.
As mellow, reserved and laid-back as this album usually is, there are times when Don’t Ask rock out. “Real Love” and “How Could I Know?,” for example, don’t let loose to the degree of Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath or Mahogany Rush, but those songs do add an unanticipated power pop appeal to an album that features folk-rock and soft rock as its main ingredients. And Don’t Ask add a bit of prog-rock appeal to “Creeks Run Dry,” which is another track that successfully employs water imagery.
No one will accuse Nothing of being the most groundbreaking or original album in the world. This 21st Century release is retro and makes no bones about it. But Don’t Ask are good at what they do, and while Nothing falls short of being a stellar listen, it is certainly a pleasant and agreeable one.
Review by Alex Henderson
Rating: 3 stars (out of 5)
