Richard Cuccaro was kind enough to do a review of “Excellent Trouble” in the Dec. (2010) issue ofAcoustic Live!. That issue will eventually be posted online as a PDF; here’s the text of the review in the meantime:
Brad Yoder – Excellent Trouble
Multi-instrumentalist Brad Yoder might have produced the album that puts him on a plateau with some of the heavier hitters in the singer-songwriter arena. The clever verbal gymnastics I noticed when I first heard him several years ago are in full evidence.
The CD opens up with Again, which implores: “Would someone break my heart again, so it can mend the right way next time.” The boundary-breaking lyrics keep coming. In “Someone to be Lonely With,” he sings, “…when I have burned my pack of days, when I have nothing left to say, will I find love, or pine away for someone to be lonely with? …” In Keep it to Yourself, we hear: “Jesus was a misfit, hung out with the queer kids / scandalized the priesthood, it’s pretty clear where he stood.”
Facing the subject of death is never easy. Brad meets it head-on with Leave Like This, singing: “…you shone bright as any light / why’d you have to leave like this? / I see you when I close my eyes / why’d you have to leave like this?” This is a heavyweight album from a major talent. Let’s hope the rest of the world notices.
Thanks, Richard! You noticed, which is a good start…
