Kevin McKinney
Talking to Plants (Shat) “Laugh when there’s nothing left to lose,” urges Kevin McKinney in the opening seconds of his latest solo album, Talking to Plants. The song in question, “Laugh,” serves as an ample introduction to the Soulhat frontman’s need to make his audience grin. The problem is that more often than not, McKinney sticks his elbow in your ribs to let you know he’s only kidding. In other words, Talking to Plants takes the local singer-songwriter’s penchant for humorous bar anthems and lets all of the helium out before any real fun is had. On “Creditcard Hangover,” McKinney allows a laundry list of poor shopping decisions to ruin an otherwise fine melody. Like too many moments here, the song gets away from him and becomes a skilled, but seemingly endless, jam session. After a while, McKinney should refrain from refrains. Not all is lost, though. The album’s title track is strong folk-rock, with touches of early Ryan Adams. Yet too much of Talking to Plants gets lost in sameness, so much so that minor organ flourishes on “Hipcheck” sound otherworldly in comparison. The rest is one stage-friendly stomper after another. Lyrics are peppered with humorous references, but most of the social commentary falls flat. Apparently, Kevin McKinney is tired of trying to make listeners laugh, because he sounds exhausted.
This article appears in October 10 • 2003.