January 26 2024
Sparrow is Jeff Talmadge’s eighth studio album, and it’s already been a full decade since number seven, so it’s about darn time it arrived! Its ten songs are mostly gentle acoustic guitar-accompanied folk-ish songs. Talmadge sings each one with a quiet spirit and the focus of a storyteller. One called “If I Was a Sparrow” acts as the project’s title track and is one where Talmadge longs to fly back in time, just like a bird in flight. With its soft sonics, it’s representative of the album’s overall feel.
While many of these songs focus attention on characters finding themselves in various circumstances, one titled “Forgiveness” is far more conceptual. Forgiveness is a human necessity, but sometimes it is just oh so hard to give. “It’s worth a fortune, but it’s free,” Talmadge reminds us. When people say, ‘the best things in life are free,’ forgiveness is at the top of that list.
Speaking of song characters, Katie (in “Katie’s Got a Locket”) is one of the saddest peoples explored in this song set. The locket referred to in the title refers to a piece of jewelry “on a dime store chain.” Inside this locket is “a picture of a boy.” This boy was her true love once, but that was a long time ago. Tragically, this young man is “the one that got away.” The song’s most poignant moment arrives when Talmage notes: “Sometimes it makes her smile/And sometimes it helps her cry.” When she first put his picture inside this locket, it was a huge romantic blessing, but now every time she looks at it, it appears like nothing other than a curse.
In addition to the emotional disaster explored through “Katie’s Got a Locket,” Talmadge also delves into troubles of the more tangible, physical variety. He opens the album with “Hurricane,” which speaks from the perspective of one brave soul that is determined to stay put and wait it out during a bad storm. Confident he’ll survive. Then with “Little Speck of Dust,” he reminds us that, although we may think ourselves to be a pretty big deal, in the face of a mighty windstorm we are just a “little speck of dust going ‘round the sun.’ It’s all relative, after all.
On a much brighter note, “Maybe Next Year” looks forward to “one more dance in the moonlight.” Performed over a waltzing rhythm over layered acoustic guitars, it’s a spirited celebration that fills the heart with hope for the future.
Talmadge closes the album with the instrumental “Top Of The Hour.” Despite being an ironic title for an album-closer, it nevertheless shows off Talmadge’s acoustic guitar talents. It’s a pretty, upbeat, yet short, reflection and is a sweet way to cap off a fine album.
Much like a quiet man that doesn’t need to raise his voice to grab your attention, Jeff Talmadge has created a strong album of songs that draws you in gently, rather than grabbing you tightly and pulling you over. With plenty of truly lovely acoustic guitar work, matched to smart and sincere lyrics, it’s the sort of album you may want to put on while meditating upon the bigger issues of life. It’ll soar in and out of your thoughts, much like a sparrow in flight.
Dan MacIntosh - Dan MacIntosh has been a professional music journalist for 30 years and his work has regularly appeared in many local and national publications, including Inland Empire Weekly, CCM, CMJ, Paste, Mean Street, Chord, HM, Christian Retailing, Amplifier, Inspirational Giftware, Stereo Subversion, Indie-Music, Soul–Audio, Roughstock.com, Country Standard Time and Spin.com.
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