Album Details

• Artist: Aa Bondy
• Album: American Hearts
• Label: Superphonic
• Year of Release: 2007
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: soundaslanguage on 2008-01-31

Media

A.A. Bondy was once in a band called Verbena and he knows more than anyone that hype can be a bitch. I remember way back in the late nineties driving to the store (Manifest!) to buy a copy of Verbena’s Into The Pink. The Alabama band was being hailed as the second coming of Nirvana. With production from none other than Dave Grohl, I just had to see what all the fuss was about. Well, call me a sucker, save a few singles, Into The Pink should have been titled Into The Used Bin instead. So, it was with great skepticism when I received A.A. Bondy’s solo debut American Hearts. But, hey, I hold no grudges so I gave it a listen.

Bondy has left behind the grunge for the more fertile fields of bluesy folk rock. It seems as though more and more musicians are going solo and embracing the more is less aesthetic. It definitely works for Bondy as American Hearts breathes a soulful authenticity. With titles like “How Will You Meet Your End”, “Rapture (Sweet Rapture)”, and “Killed Myself When I Was Young”, there is a lingering darkness that pervades American Hearts. There is a glimmer of hope shining out from that darkness though and Bondy conveys that ever so slightly. Most songs here deal in matters of the heart and faith/religion. While not necessarily sounding like him, Bondy’s songwriting has some noticeable parallels to the Boss himself. Hell, I can only imagine Springsteen taking lead on the political title track, “American Hearts.” Bondy’s stories certainly aren’t for the faint of heart but they will bring you back time and time again. That’s what makes American Hearts such a pleasant surprise.

Review courtesy of Sound As Language

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