Damone Type of Thing

The Damone Type of Thing looks both forward and backward: Perry Botkin's arrangements boast a subtle soulfulness clearly inspired by the dominant pop sensibilities of the late 1960s, but the material is steadfastly -- even defiantly -- patrician, foregoing contemporary fare in favor of pages from the Great American Songbook. Taken together, the songs paint a portrait of romantic disillusionment and despair, and Damone seizes upon the album's smoky, boozy atmosphere with gusto. In its way, the album is his own In the Wee Small Hours, and while it boasts neither the brilliance nor melancholy elegance of its forbear, it's nevertheless a record made by and for adults alienated from the counterculture and the sexual revolution it portended. ~ Jason Ankeny