EP Review: Marshall Crenshaw — Driving and Dreaming
By now, most have either been hipped to the songwriting genius of Marshall Crenshaw, or they haven’t and sadly probably never will. With Crenshaw’s releases stretching all the way back to the early 1980s, you’re guaranteed heartfelt songwriting, ear-candy melodies and crystalline, no-bullshit production values. All that’s in evidence on this, the third in his ongoing series of EP releases.
This three-song EP follows the format laid out for the series: a new song (in this case, the catchy, midtempo title track) backed with a pair of tunes, one a cover (Bobby Fuller‘s “Never to be Forgotten” and a re-imagining of a tune from Crenshaw’s deep catalog. Ever the archivist, Crenshaw makes the Fuller tune his own, emphasizing the quick-riffage of the song’s signature and adding some lovely double-tracked vocal lines. He plays and sings everything on this and the other two tracks.
The loose-limbed rethink of “Someday, Someway,” his most well-known tune is, to say the least, not reverent. It’s his song, so he’s well within his rights to recast it in the manner he sees fit, but this version is dodgy. The beat is completely rethought, and the feel is totally different. He definitely scores points for having the moxie to attempt such a rethink, but in practical terms, this listener prefers to stick with the 1980 original.
Still, as Meat Loaf sang, two out of three ain’t bad. And any Crenshaw is better than none at all, so my advice is to pick this up if only so he’s encouraged to keep the flow of new recordings coming.
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About the Author
Bill Kopp
With a background in marketing and advertising, Bill Kopp got his professional start writing for Trouser Press. After a stint as Editor-in-chief for a national music magazine, Bill launched Musoscribe in 2009, and has published new content every business day since then (and every single day since 2018). The 4000-plus interviews, essays, and reviews on Musoscribe reflect Bill's keen interest in American musical forms, most notably rock, jazz, and soul. His work features a special emphasis on reissues and vinyl. Bill's work also appears in many other outlets both online and in print. He regularly hosts lecture/discussions on artists and albums of historical importance (including monthly events Music to Your Ears and Music Movie Mondays), and is a frequent guest on music-focused radio programs and podcasts. In Spring 2023 he is co-teaching a history of Rock 'n' Roll at UNC Asheville's College for Seniors. He also researches and authors liner notes for album reissues -- more than 30 to date -- and co-produced a reissue of jazz legend Julian "Cannonball" Adderley's final album. His first book, Reinventing Pink Floyd: From Syd Barrett to The Dark Side of the Moon was published by Rowman & Littlefield in 2018, and in paperback in 2019. His second book, Disturbing the Peace: 415 Records and the Rise of New Wave, was published in 2021 by HoZac Books. His third book, What's the Big Idea: 40 Great Concept Albums will be published in 2024. Read even more about him here.