Album Review: Ed Rawlings – A Foolish Inconsistency

Way back in 1841, Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.” The line is from his essay “Self-Reliance,” itself an ironic title, seeing as by that time in his life he was living off his late wife’s inheritance (the equivalent of more than a half million dollars in today’s money). Hmm. Unlikely as it may be for me to quote a sports figure, I am led to recall the words of college football coach Barry Switzer: “Some people are born on third base and go through life thinking they hit a triple.”

Ah, but I digress. And there’s an album to review.

Bay Area guitarist Ed Rawlings riffs on the quote for the title of his new album. A Foolish Inconsistency is a varied and eclectic collection of eleven originals and one well-chosen cover. The instrumental pieces span and encompass a number of styles, making A Foolish Inconsistency a showcase for Rawlings’ talents.

The album’s variety means than no one track can represent what it’s about. The opening track, “Departure” features some catchy melodic runs, with hints of surf rock. Rawlings’ main instrument is guitar, but here – and on all of the album – he plays keyboards as well. He’s joined by bassist Uriah Duffy and drummer Jeff Campitelli; the latter is best-known for his long association with Joe Satriani.

The softly swaying “Waiting for Something” is a sort of distant and modern cousin to Santo and Johnny’s “Sleepwalk.” “The Long Way Around” has a character reminiscent of Mark Knopfler’s work for film soundtracks. “Riff Raft” start subtly and builds to a soaring, contemplative arrangement. The expressive tonality of Rawlings’ work reaches into a plethora of different corners; on A Foolish Inconsistency he makes a point of not having one signature sound, and the album is better for that approach.

Rawlings’ reading of Los Lobos’ “Arizona Skies” has the requisite high lonesome vibe. “Snap” recalls the pre-rock era of jump blues and swing. “Thunderhead” uses a simple melody as a canvas upon which Rawlings paints some impressive and expressive fretwork. The classic country two-step textures of “The Forever Afternoon” calm things down a bit.

But then the heavy, lumbering “Lands End” showcases a blues feel. Seemingly intent on making A Foolish Inconsistency as varied as possible, Rawlings’ “Not Thinking Twice” is wholly acoustic, with multiple overdubbed guitars intertwining in a lovely mélange. “Arrival” stretches out, with soaring leads reaching for the sky; it offers some of the album’s most memorable moments. The set closes with the chiming and warmly accessible “Almost Home.”

Ed Rawlings gets his musical ideas across without words on A Foolish Inconsistency. It’s a pleasing set of tunes that yields dividends to the engaged listener.