Dirk Hamilton

DIRK HAMILTON

SEXspringEVERYTHING (Acoustic Rock)

Dirk Hamilton has had an interesting career. He's been making records for 25 years -- stopping once for almost a decade -- and has developed a cult following, especially in Italy. Originally from California, he's made Austin his home since the early part of the Nineties. SEXspringEVERYTHING is his 10th release, and it's an amiable slab of singer-songwriter roots rock undermined by his creaky and hoarse vocals; imagine if Randy Newman really couldn't sing. Worse, his lyrics are flaccid and uninspired. Take for example the punchline to the song "Want to Make God Laugh?" -- "tell Him your plans." The setup is about as bad as the joke itself. Adding insult to injury, Hamilton also has the tendency to be a little too wordy at times, which makes his melodies seem odd or forced, e.g. "You Taught Me How to Love (Now I Can Love, but I Can't Love You)." Whew. Then there are the funky blues trappings of tunes like "Brown-Eyed Blonde" and "So Soulful You." Those grooves may have seemed fresh in the Seventies when Hamilton first started, but fall flat today. SEXspringEVERYTHING's best tune is the first one, "He Can't Stop (She Can't Go)," a rollicking guitar- and organ-driven number that's uplifting and memorable. Too bad that little of what follows can match its power and charm.