The modern Jonathan
All credit to Jonathan Richman, the charmingly eccentric singer-songwriter whose early Velvet Underground/New York Dolls-inspired band the Modern Lovers segued from punkery to weirdo acoustic balladry.
On his own for years now, Richman has continued his wideeyed, “the world is a wonder” musical observations with simple, cheerfully odd ditties that either seduce the listener or make the listener scratch his or her head. As per last year’s “Sa” album, make no mistake: for all the childlike glee in Richman’s work, the man is a poet with a big heart and a catalog full of thoughtful and clever work.