Josh Ritter delivers his Sermon on the Rocks like most preachers would — with as many references to commonly recognized Biblical images as possible, and some raunchy boasts for PG-13 appeal. NPR calls the album’s character half “traveling preacher” and half “snake oil salesman.” Though they forgot to mention said personas also come across as awkwardly contrived far too often. From over-reaching Genericana winces to classical Spanish guitar tricks, so go the mixed-blessing sentiments of the Idaho native’s eighth effort.
‘Birds of the Meadow‘
It’s somewhat cheesy, but Ritter dons a Messiah-sexual character — he “didn’t come to roll no stones away” and rise from the dead, but he’s still “dressed in rags” like a porno Jesus ready to “turn your bedside up, yeah.” Or, ready to make something else rise from the dead, “in ecstasy.” Proclaiming himself “your heebie jeebie man” keeps tongue firmly in cheek. He knows what he’s doing:
‘Young Moses‘
The religious metaphors continue, as Ritter considers himself a “Young Moses” — born into the lap of luxury, although his soul yearns for simpler, more honest pleasures. These include Old Testament throwbacks like “milk and honey,” but also ‘Murican shoutouts, like “Florida water” and cacti. He even throws in a Rolling Stones reference for good measure:
‘Henrietta, Indiana‘
Like Bon Iver before him, Ritter invents a classic American town to paint a more serious, grim picture than the tracks preceding it. The town’s factory shuts down, all them workin’ men lose their jobs, “daddy gets a taste for the hard stuff,” and “daddy” (and brother) go on a killing spree out of frustration. Although there’s a “devil in [all their] eye[s],” they escape Johnny Law:
‘Getting Ready to Get Down‘
Bible School interventions won’t stop this blossoming girl from realizing her sexuality, which, as a sentence, sounds creepy. But, that’s the tip of the iceberg, just as youthful-sexuality-versus-abstinence-only-education has many facets. Really, it’s about the girl having ownership over her own body, and doing whatever she wants, which apparently means boning Ritter’s character:
‘Seeing Me Around‘
Ritter mixes mob-murder and crucifixion metaphors; either way, he’s a victim warning his perpetrator that revenge is just around the corner. It’s once again a pretty straightforward classic rock jam with touches of Spanish classical guitar. It fits into a jam-festival vibe, although it doesn’t particularly stand out from such a pack:
‘Where the Night Goes‘
This feels like a Bruce Springsteen cop: uber triumphant piano that also has a little bit of good-ol’-boy sadness, lyrics about a “tough girl” “breaking hearts” from the “bad [side of] town,” a “Greyhound” bus, it’s almost too much. I’m full of Awshucks, Ritter. This seems to be the default setting for indie-acoustic songsters letting loose and just having some musical fun, I guess:
‘Cumberland‘
This could qualify as full-blown Genericana. Which, unfortunately, is a train Ritter might have jumped onto a bit late, as it’s already being phased out of corporate commercials. In keeping with the spirit of the genre, Ritter resorts to simply laying out a list of images meant to put farm dirty between your toes. To boot, the beat is “Julio Down by the Schoolyard” simplified chord-wise:
‘Homecoming‘
Ritter’s “headed home,” and super excited about it. Partially because he’s going to make a spiritual and political stand by getting frisky again (maybe with the Bible School dropout from before?). The air in the world around him turns to an autumnal “crisp,” and there’s still plenty of Biblical metaphors to pluck. But mostly, it’s more Bruce-y builds:
‘The Stone‘
Sure, this ballad borrows the tired-est chords we have as a species. But, it sticks out in good way nonetheless. There’s no forced-feeling carousing, no Biblical metaphors (unless you count the titular “Stone” as the one from Jesus’ resurrection) — just a simple, candid take on old love-pains that just don’t fully wash away, even “with different arms around you now”:
‘A Big Enough Sky‘
The “More Than a Feeling” chords come out to spell backwoods/flannel love story clichés already beaten to far beyond any horse should. It’s a shame too, because “prairies,” “sweet water,” and “pure air” shouldn’t be trite. As someone who wasn’t particularly familiar with his older work (but had heard nothing but great things), this album hasn’t been a great impression overall. What happened?:
‘Lighthouse Fire‘
There’s a bit more of the old “Tree of Good and Evil” metaphor, which has made several appearances thus far. But, this semi power-pop jam mostly just boasts Ritter’s inferno-like passion. It’s a refreshing change, and hedges its bets on droning, building repetition. The melodies aren’t particularly catchy or interesting, but it still somehow works overall:
‘My Man on a Horse is Here‘
Ritter rides into the sunset on a sleepy number that an old-timey country band would play once the dancers are all starting to pass out drunk (also known as the slow dance). It never busts out into a raucous romp as you might hope, but it’s “hidey, hidey, hidey ho” cheese factor comes with a satirical wink—like much of this album might also have:
