I Believe in You, My Honeydew

Josh Ritter has an unusual name for his artistic muse: “Honeydew.” Determined to reconnect with the ever-elusive creative spark that felt more accessible in his younger years, the 48-year-old singer-songwriter wrote this collection of songs addressed to his muse, recording the collection with producer Sam Kassirer (Craig Finn, Walter Martin) and Ritter’s own Royal City Band. The resulting album is kaleidoscopic in sound and subject, with trippy song titles like “Truth Is a Dimension (Both Invisible and Blinding)” and “The Wreckage of One Vision of You” hinting at the expansive kind of introspection Ritter called forth. Opening track “You Won’t Dig My Grave,” with its chiming piano and rootsy production, doesn’t reinvent Ritter’s sonic wheel, but there’s a new wildness in his voice as he considers the trials and tribulations that have marked his life thus far. “Honeydew (No Light)” lets Ritter get a little weird, as he writes mythical figures like Prometheus into his own personal history while a mandolin, accordion, and synthesizer find oddball harmony in the margins of his tall tales. Other highlights include “Kudzu Vines,” a sludgy, begrudging ode to the “vine that ate the South,” and closing track “The Throne,” a frank and compassionate acknowledgment of the “burdens never meant to be shouldered” that accompany modern life.

On I Believe in You, My Honeydew, singer-songwriter Josh Ritter tries out a number of different styles, but sounds best when he finds inspiration.

The alt-country singer's latest isn't consistent but does hit highs. Album New Music review by Thomas H Green