REVIEW : The Family - The Morton Report.com

Have mercy. How does someone like Joseph Arthur continually top himself? He's one of the most free-range rockers the world has seen the past 20 years, and just when you think Arthur can't take it any farther, wham. There he goes again. 

Joseph Arthur turns his laser soul on his past this time around, and while there is no doubt plenty of artistic license taken when writing about his family, it's also likely there's plenty of truth-telling going on here. The great thing about the Akron, Ohio native is how he operates without restraint. It's like he likes it best up on the high-wire, with nothing beneath him but his own beliefs. 

Arthur will take his songs as far out as they need to go, and then when it seems like it's time to bring everything back home, he'll go even a little farther. Never mind that he plays all the instruments himself, because Arthur has so clearly staked his claim on the universe everything belongs to him anyway. 

Listen now as his father, mother, sister, and himself come to life in the glorious 3D of song, and once more a breathing human proves what is possible through the sheer wonder of music. The luminous liner notes penned by Joseph Arthur give an opening glimpse at what he accomplishes on this album. The songs then bring him—and us—all the way home.

Bill Bentley