Calvin Johnson - What Was Me

Calvin Johnson's first album released under his own name is quite literally a solo disc -- except for duet vocals on two cuts, What Was Me finds the former Beat Happening/Halo Benders vocalist all by himself in the studio, with only his guitar for company (and on a few cuts he even dispenses with his instrument, belting out his songs in glorious a cappella). While Johnson has often emphasized the playful and childlike side of his personality in his music, What Was Me reveals a new level of maturity and focus; while he hasn't turned into Leonard Cohen, Johnson displays a surer and firmer command of his slightly craggy baritone here, and his songs, most of which deal with the ups and downs of romantic relationships, suggest a deliberate move away from the faux-naïve style of his early work (if he doesn't always sound like a man of the world, at very least he's moved up to college freshman level). Read More