A Year in the Wilderness

Age suits John Doe well. Even when he co-fronted the L.A. punk band X two decades ago, he seemed older than his years, and 2007’s *A Year In The Wilderness* finds his trademark howl and jagged sense of poetics in well-seasoned form. This album brings Doe’s rootsier qualities to the surface, presenting the singer/songwriter as a Dust Bowl troubadour roaming the bleak outskirts of 21st Century America. Those who miss the manic energy of X’s glory days will get a charge out of “Lean Out Your Window” and “Hotel Ghost” (the latter featuring Doe’s former bandmate Dave Alvin wailing mercilessly on lead guitar). “The Golden State” (a scorching duet with Canadian country-rocker Kathleen Edwards) invokes memories of the ‘80s California cowpunk scene. But the album’s lyrics make clear that Doe isn’t interested in wallowing in nostalgia. He struggles to come to terms with present-day dreams and fears in tracks like “Unforgiven,” “The Bridge” and “Darling Underdog.” Especially potent in this vein is “A Little More Time,” a bleakly lovely ballad worthy of vintage Dylan. John Doe may have spent *A Year in the Wilderness*, but this album finds him very much on track.

John Doe is back again. As a founding member of punk monoliths X, he seized his rightful place as one of the most influential musicians in American alternative music in the 1980's, clearing a path for the revolution in that genre that would take place a decade later. Since launching his solo career in 1990 with the dusty road-poetry of Meet John Doe, John has produced six stunning roots rock albums of frightening honesty and vision. A Year in the Wilderness is no exception. This time around, John has invited his friends and frequent conspirators to help him interpret songs that came fast and hard. Doe dubs the Wilderness sessions, "A scary and wondrous process where a blast of intuition and force that takes only moments to realize, but that can last forever and carry consequences you never imagined." Guest stars appearing on A Year in the Wilderness include Dave Alvin, Jill Sobule, Kathleen Edwards, Dan Auerbach (from The Black Keys), Greg Leisz and Aimee Mann.