Pete Yorn:
Back & Fourth

Still mellow, but darker lyrics on singer/songwriter’s latest

Tousled-haired crooner Pete Yorn approached Back & Fourth, his first album in three years, in a different musical environment. Sheltered by the surroundings of Middle America for the first time, Yorn shared his solitude with a group of musicians that took the instruments from his hands as he concentrated on writing the lyrics to some of the darkest, deepest songs of his career. The first single off the album, “Don’t Wanna Cry,” is a broken-heart anthem, and a melancholy voice throughout gives away to conflicting feelings about moving forward. Unfortunately, the singer-songwriter’s poignant lyrics get lost in the same tempo and sound found in his past three albums, offering us songs that lack distinctiveness and originality-and all we’re left with is a shallow perspective on Yorn’s troubled soul.

Listen to Pete Yorn's "Don't Wanna Cry" from Back & Fourth: