Robert Bradley and Blackwater Surprise
'Still Loving You'
On Vangaurd Records
Bottom Line: Despite noteable previous albums, changes within the band result is an album that is subpar.
Grade: D+Last year's "New Ground," the third effort by Robert Bradley's Blackwater Surprise was an impressive album. Unfortunately, the most recent release, "Still Lovin' You," by the newly-dubbed Robert Bradley and Blackwater Surprise, is a disappointing change from their usual talent.

More than just their name has changed. Looking back on the last album, all but two songs were co-written by the rest of the band. This time around, only one song is a collaborative effort. And that's not a good thing at all. It was a band effort, now it's Bradley's effort, and the strength of the band members is painfully lacking.

OK, so here is the creation myth on Bradley and Blackwater Surprise:
These young rock musicians were practicing in Detroit when they heard him, a middle-aged blind blues singer, singing in the street. They invited him in to play a few of his songs, after which they asked him to join the band as their vocalist.

I heard about them soon after their first release, when they were playing the side stage on the Horde festival back in the day. The combination of his raspy, southern gospel voice with their crisp rock sensibilities was amazing to hear, especially live. Unlike most bands, with a twentysomething front man singing about pain he's never experienced, Bradley brought authenticity to the music, something that has to be earned, not learned.

This time around, with "Still Lovin'You" all of the original members have been replaced, all of the additional musicians intermittingly used throughout the album are new, and the results are dismal. The last album had a good blend of retro-style guitar work with modern production values; you could feel the influence of the younger players. For one thing, their pictures were on the cover, not sequestered to the back in tiny, barely noticeable squares. According to his press release, Bradley is making the soul record he's always wanted to make. Perhaps to Bradley, soul is synonymous with repeating oneself from song to song, like the chorus in a pop song.

Ironically, despite the complete change in lineup, the instrumentals are still the best part of the record. Bradley may not know how to write a collection of good lyrics, but he does know music, and he manages to completely fail on this mark. Unfortunately, the only song that really takes off is a cover of the Isaac Hayes song, "I Thank You."

If "Still Lovin' You" was an album of covers, I think Bradley could have chosen 12 great songs to sing. Ask him to write original music, and what you get is hackneyed writing, rough vocals, and a backing band without the authority to add anything unique or interesting to the mix.

Three songs have "love" in the title, and all but three of the songs on the record are explicitly sentimental love songs. Bradley may have a lot of love to express, but he doesn't do it with any distinctive flair. "When You Love Something," while lyrically at a fifth-grade level, does have the drive and emotion needed to keep such a simple song afloat. The rest of the songs drown in their lack of originality. I felt like almost every song was a slow dance I'd use as an excuse to sit down, get a drink or make a phone call at a party. Anything but dancing, anything but paying attention to the song, because ultimately, it is not worth it.

Of the non-love songs, "Pretender" has the most potential, though Bradley's words contradict the story they hint at. He lies to his friends, maybe to himself, but he considers himself "a winner." How? Your guess is as good as mine. "Virginia" is a song Bradley should be writing. It's simple, nostalgic, and has the flavor of his Southern roots. This is a love song, but the girl in the story takes a backseat to the state. The listener feels closer to the Old Dominion than to the nameless woman. It also has the background vocals that made "New Ground" strong enough to keep one's attention. Without them, the gravel road voice loses its attraction over time.

There's really nothing else to say. Bradley has decided to go it alone and has produced an album that has a 30-year-old cover as a highlight. The music, while better than his lyrics, only gets it right a couple of times. My suggestion is that he take more time on the material and get some co-writers to help him compose a fully developed songs.