Mark David Ashworth
Viceroy (Autobus)A local singer-songwriter with a unique vision is extremely rare these days. That’s what makes Mark David Ashworth’s debut a thrill. Recorded during his travels in Central and South America, Viceroy comes across as a warped travelogue that envelopes the listener with its eccentricities. That Ashworth performs the multi-instrumental arrangements almost entirely by himself makes it even more remarkable. Borrowing a bit from the city folk of Beck and with a voice that occasionally recalls Ron Sexsmith’s melancholy, Ashworth mixes staggered beats with visions of the places he’s been, ever searching and imploring for answers that aren’t there yet. Street sounds mix with flamenco guitar on the languid “Something We Can Hold in Our Hands,” while a tenor guitar line-dances around Ashworth harmonizing with himself ethereally on “Silver and Gold.” Even then, Viceroy, an album in the every sense, is best consumed whole.
This article appears in November 23 • 2007.