I was worried that I wouldn’t have anything to say about Justin Rutledge’s Man Descending that I didn’t already cover in my earlier all-inclusive post about him, and maybe I don’t have anything super constructive, but I will say this: I had a really really trying day. (And I was worried I talked too much about myself in this blog.) I was exhausted and ill and cranky. By the time I got home, the sun was going down and I was borderline murderous. I turned off the lights, laid down, put this album on and shut my eyes, and by the second or third song I felt the most content I had in weeks. That’s pretty much what this man does. In a house where getting through a day sometimes feels more like crossing a minefield, he’s staved off countless panic attacks, kept my blood pressure low and just, in general, soothed away the irrational feeling that the apocalypse is nigh. I’d never really been able to relate to those fans that claim so-and-so’s music saved their life, or that they wouldn’t be able to survive without it, and I won’t imply that either of those are true for me – which I don’t want to undercut my perceived opinion of his work, because it’s unbelievably high. I’m just not that dramatic or that bad off, so I can’t truthfully say that Justin Rutledge saved my life. But I can say, with complete and total honesty, that he made it a hell of a lot better.
/mush
Man Descending is a beautiful record. So is everything else the man has produced. Go buy it – it’s worth every penny.
Here’s “The Wire“, my current favorite from the album, featuring vocals by Catherine MacLellan and horns by David Travers-Smith. Another few of the many guest musicians on the album include Ron Sexsmith, Hawksley Workman, Oh Susanna, Melissa McClelland, Jim Bryson, Jenn Grant, and Colin Cripps.
