Judging by his recent spurt of output, Paul Westerberg is hell-bent on disproving the old adage about too frequently visiting the well. His fourth album in two years, Folker is an ambitious feat of songwriting and is, when placed next to the other records from the last couple of years as well as having seen him live, apparently the closest to capturing his mindset at the moment. Folker is fairly evenly split between sarcasm (“Jingle�, “$100 Groom�, “Folk Star�) and aggressive introspection caused by the death of Westerberg’s father. Moreso than his last two solo albums, Folker is more fleshed out instrumentally (hence, more like Grandpaboy) and features a premium on straight-faced folk balladry that could be mistaken for rock and roll for the sheer intensity of the lyrics. Westerberg has frequently maintained that his lyrical content is often tossed off and means little, but songs like “Breathe Some New Life�, “My Dad� and “Lookin’ Up In Heaven� imply an intentional structure and focus in the lyrics that undermines his statements. Westerberg has something to say with Folker and wants people to know it. Folker is Westerberg looking back at the events and people in his life and paying misty eyed tribute to them. This album proves that even when he has something important to say, Westerberg can still make a great record.

By Bill Adams
Sep 29, 2004