Departures

John Garrison

Independent

2009-11-10

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• (Member — 0 votes)

“Let’s tear down the walls on this hotel” declares a far too mellow John Garrison on “Let’s Run”, the relaxed opener to his second solo release Departures.  The former lead singer of Budapest has recently relocated from London to New York, departing a secure existence for the unknown.  Having built up a secure base in London, Garrison got itchy feet.  His debut solo release Above The Cosmos was both a critical and commercial success, once again creating room for security.  Leaving it all behind for a new challenge, does Garrison’s omnipresent desire for leaving the secure pay off?

Departures is a surprisingly one-tone mellow affair. Lyrically Garrison occasionally appears angst ridden, bored of a stagnant existence but musically, he is bland.  His soft soulful serenading and acoustic accompaniment contrast starkly with the feelings he is having.

With an devilishly angelic voice, Garrison could have really shone.

While seeking a challenge, Garrison appears unwilling to really take a risk.  “Footprints” sees some life injected into proceedings, but even then it is in a dull formulaic unchallenging way.  “Once Around The Block” and “Rendezvous” display signs of lyrical and musical master craft.

When James Blunt first arrived on the scene in 2004 his dull pondering was heralded for its beauty.  Garrison takes a leaf from his book but adds little to the recipe.  As with Blunt, the initial attraction soon wore thin. Departures is by no means an unpleasant listen, the problem is the lack of adventure.  With an devilishly angelic voice, Garrison could have really shone. Lyrically colourful but musically safe, Departures is perfect for a dinner party where the music is purely incidental. Garrison is too blandly inoffensive to get the ears really perking up.