A press release for Northshore-raised, Loyola-educated, Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter AM said that all 10 songs from his previous album were placed in film and television shows. That’s a good thing, but not as good as it seems at first blush. It’s money, and that’s good, and it’s exposure, which is good if people can find a way to connect the excerpts they hear with him. It also could mean that the songs on Troubled Times conveyed a mood, but they didn’t do so in a personal way that would distract from the scene.

 

Far be it from me to pooh-pooh such an achievement. The music business is a new world these days, and anyone who is doing business is a step up on those who aren’t. And just because his songs could be used as soundtrack music doesn’t mean it is. It’s all about the snippet, and the melancholy electronic musical bed for his acoustic guitar-oriented songs on Troubled Times couldn’t be more perfectly suited for a soul-searching moment on MTV’s The Real World.

 

Soul Variations is a step sideways. The backing band is more conventional, which makes the hooks easier to hear. The arrangements are also sparse, but the success of the album is his songwriting. Many songwriters with a background in literature show their dexterity with rhetorical devices, or to riff off classical allusions. AM’s words sound like common speech trimmed down to its necessities, so they’re direct and give the songs the feeling of elegantly phrased, unmediated thoughts. In that sense and in the consistently well-executed songs, Soul Variations is a winner. Now if only it were a little less user-friendly. Something thorny like a more distinctive musical voice would make this more than a record people would want, not just enjoy.