Reigning Sound

Love and Curses (In the Red)

Greg Cartwright qualifies as a Memphis great. His ear for hooky, three-minute pop and penchant for heartbreak songs translated well when Reigning Sound backed Shangri-La Mary Weiss on 2007’s Dangerous Game. Since then, the singer/guitarist has settled into his talents after nearly a decade with the Memphis-bred quartet. Love and Curses offers less blown-out rock & roll anthems than 2004’s Too Much Guitar but more refinement, reflection, and soul. Cartwright’s splintered howl supports mostly ballads and slow-burners, though “Stick Up for Me” and “If I Can’t Come Back” still rep the band’s reptile style, the former tune a cover of obscure Michigan garage rockers the Glass Sun and an archivist’s nod to the genre. Recently reissued Live at Goner Records crackles with in-the-moment magic, but Love and Curses is a sound entry into the Sound discography, one Cartwright seems intent on tuning up.

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This article appears in September 11 • 2009.

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