JOE PERNICE: IT FEELS SO GOOD WHEN I STOP

[rating:3.5]

Joe Pernice : It Feels So Good When I Stop

Label: Ashmont Records

Release Date: August 4, 2009

Here’s the M.O. behind Joe Pernice’s companion piece to his first novel, “It Feels So Good When I Stop”: “Though the book is not explicitly about music, there are quite a few cover and fictional songs mentioned, so I thought it would be a cool idea for me to record some of those songs and release them, as a soundtrack album to the novel.” You know, cool is a really good adjective to describe what any Pernice Brothers fan might use to describe a record featuring Joe Pernice covering AM Gold classics “Hello It’s Me” and “Chevy Van,” not to mention indie classic “Soul and Fire” by Sebadoh. Totally unexpected and unbelievable for any fan might be another way. For the rest of you/us, this is Massachusetts’ second greatest living troubadour (Jonathan Richman is still out there crooning, at low volumes, some song in French, somewhere) piecing together a totally eclectic and interesting set of songs, set to the cool distinctive voice of Joe Pernice & his acoustic guitar. The stripped down arrangement on “Chevy Van” and “Hello It’s Me” give the songs a totally different vibe, less Harvest Gold & more Americana, but the surprises really come from the 60’s. The fun, very faithful versions of Peter & Gordon’s “I Go To Pieces” and Bobby Purify’s “I’m Your Puppet” sound crisp and fresh, and Pernice’s voice, always defined by regret and falsetto, makes these heavy repeat players. The biggest surprise, however, comes with the choice cover “Chim Cheree” from Mary Poppins. Take away the dancing chimney sweeps & the hucksterism of Dick Van Dyke & replace with the whisper of Mr. Pernice and a dark, moody, stark and brooding arrangement. In an album meant to be a simple musical accompaniment, Joe Pernice once again takes us by surprise, this time not with deft phrasing & crack songwriting, but with this disparate and yet cohesive set of songs.

-John Whitaker