Reviews for "Faces & Words"
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
For whatever reason(s), Iowa City-based singer/songwriter Nic Arp has maintained a fairly low profile on the area club scene thus far, but with his solo debut, "Faces & Words," he makes a solid case for a serious increase in stage time.
Crisply recorded at Minstrel Studios by Justin Kennedy, the disc presents nine original tunes (plus a wonderfully spirited rendition of the vintage chestnut, "That Lucky Old Sun").
Primarily fueled by the artist's strong, agreeably raspy tenor vocals and solid acoustic guitar playing, Arp's songs effectively straddle traditional and contemporary folk/blues styles, adroitly shifting tempo throughout to keep the set moving and fresh.
The arrangements are almost living-room spare, with well-placed accompaniment added by Tara Dutcher (exquisite violin embroidery and vocal harmonies), José Manaligod (accordion), and Brad Pouleson (mandolin, uillean pipes) -- all of The Beggarmen -- and The Tornadoes' Jim Rossen (harmonica and bongos).
Likewise, the tales told are mostly humble, everyday observations (like the wistful, gorgeous "The Things We Never Say") that ring true, organic, unforced, and -- through it all -- Arp's voice wraps each of these sharply drawn miniatures like a favorite shirt.
--Jim Musser Iowa City Press-Citizen 1-26-06
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
* * * (Three Stars)
This Iowa City singer-songwriter's debut album roams among folk, bluegrass and, say, Cat Stevens.
.
Start with the fierce mix of vocals, mandolin and harmonica in "Broken Heartland."
--Kyle Munson Des Moines Register 1-19-06
------------------------------------------------------------
I.C.’s Arp shows potential on debut
Singer-songwriters always seem to include at least one cover song on their debut album.
This frequently is a mistake, since they usually select an impeccably written classic that makes their original work sound somewhat clunky by
comparison.
Iowa City singer-songwriter Nic Arp manages to avoid this trap on his debut, ‘‘Faces & Words,’’ even though he covers Haven Gillespie and Beasley Smith’s ‘‘That Lucky Old Sun’’ near the end of the album.
In an interesting twist of CD sequencing, the cover seems to inspire Arp to greater levels of songwriting for the album’s final two songs.
With a voice like a rough-and-tumble Randy Newman and thick acoustic backing by members of local bands the Beggarmen and the Tornadoes, Arp swings through ‘‘That Lucky Old Sun’’ with more confidence than he shows on the album’s earlier tracks.
That confidence continues on the album’s final two songs, ‘‘Locomotive’’ and ‘‘#9,’’ which showcase Arp at his blues-country best.
‘‘Take me up to Iowa City/So’s I could get my baby back,’’ Arp bellows at the end of ‘‘#9,’’ giving the song the potential to be a local anthem of sorts.
‘‘Faces & Words’’ is an uneven album, but Arp is a powerful new voice when he puts everything together.
--Eric Clark Cedar Rapids Gazette 1-26-06