Dustin Kensrue - Please Come Home

Rating

single starsingle starsingle star

RIYL

Thrice
Nikola Sarcevic
Johnny Cash

Label

Equal Vision

Tracklist

1. I Knew You Before
2. Pistol
3. I Believe
4. Please Come Home
5. Blood & Wine
6. Consider the Ravens
7. Weary Saints
8. Blanket of Ghosts

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Thrice's Dustin Kensrue has officially joined Bad Religion's Greg Graffin and Millencolin's Nikola Sarcevic in the phenomena of releasing a “mid-career crisis folk-rock album.” The “mid-career crisis folk-rock album”, or in this case Please Come Home, for more conventional fans usually means an album worth giving a listen or two at maximum. However, an album of this nature takes the artist completely out of their element and allows the listener the rare opportunity to view the artist's strengths and weaknesses as a song-writer. For Kensrue, the lasting appeal is that he has proven himself as one of this generations best song-writers.

First things first, this is by no means an album that sounds anything like a Thrice album. The album sounds more influenced by Johnny Cash than Thrice. Though, after listening to a few acoustic renditions of Thrice's songs, there is a clear consistency in Kensrue's style.

The opening track, “I Knew You Before,” is the perfect stage-setter for the album. The first several bars of the song give the impression that Please Come Home is going to be an alt-country album, but don't be totally mislead, unlike most alt-country (which seems to be ideal listening music when you're sitting around with your buddies and have nothing better to do except pound down beers or when you're the sober driver, policing the same friends home after a night that will go down in infamy) this album presents an exceptional amount of depth. “I Knew You Before” is a reflection on a once “innocent and pure” girl who sold herself out to the media and society to become beautiful and lost the best parts of her personality in the process. The song is eerily catchy; which is probably a good thing considering that Kensrue is not targeting the alt-country audience.

The title track is the most “repeat-button worthy” song on the whole album. “Please Come Home” is a prime example of a beautifully crafted, heart-felt song that only a masterful musician could create. The song is about a boy who takes his share of the money from his father's business and leaves to start his life, but instead manages to blow all the money and return financially and mentally “broke.” The song is from the perspective of the boy's father who clearly doesn't care about his son's sins and only wants his son to come back home. This is the perfect song for anyone who has ever felt estranged from their parents, only to realize in the end that his or her parents do love them and don't care about his or her mistakes.

However, the album does have its boring and down-right corny moments, which drag the album down. “Blood & Wine” has a bob-your-head rhythm to it, that in hindsight you will probably look back on and say, “what was he thinking?” The majority of the other tracks on the album are slower and feel more intended as background music.

All together, Please Come Home is a solid solo debut for Kensrue that has established his songwriting abilities. The album is brought down by some of the weaker songs, but in the end leaves a lasting, good impression.

--Dan Stone

Author

Effigy
Last updated: 09/29/2009 08:55PM

Comments

Jeremy Deal
02/22/2007
07:19AM
Age: 32
Well said. I feel kinda the same way - it was a good album and very quality if that style is your type of thing, but not something I would listen to very often.

"These are our lives, but did they ever even matter - are we worth remembering?"
- "Tip The Scales"
Rise Against

zrbrown
02/22/2007
07:27AM
Age: 30
Location
Cincinnasty, OH
I don't understand how people can think that about this album. This album, in my opinion, is phenomenal. For him to be able to distance himself from Thrice enough to make a name for himself as a solo artist is a tribute in itself. His religious beliefs are much more pervasive in this album than it does in a lot of Thrice songs (although they are definitely there if you know what you are looking for). He has written songs that deal with everything from disbelief and doubt to see how living with and without God was affecting his life. Plus, you did this whole review without even mentioning "Pistol" which is by far the most emotional and heartfelt track on the entire record. Also, the song "Please Come Home" is a retelling of the story of the prodigal son (which I think gives it a stronger base than referring to it as a story about a relationship between a father and his son) and is extremely well done. Overall, I think this album is a wonderful album and to call it a "mid-career crisis folk-rock album" is way off base and borderline disrespectful (at least in my opinion). After all, this is where he started. Before Thrice.

4 Stars from me. Easy.
Effigy
02/22/2007
08:01AM
Location
DeKalb, Illinois
"mid-career crisis folk-rock album" - by that I wasn't intending any disrespect for Kensrue, I was simply playing on the fact that he's the third of some of my favorite musicians to put out an album with a similar genre change....It was a joke my friend.
zrbrown
02/22/2007
09:42AM
Age: 30
Location
Cincinnasty, OH
Ah. Guess I missed the sarcasm. No harm, no foul. :)

Friends?

lol
vandenberg
02/22/2007
09:52AM
Age: 24
Location
calgary
the biblical parable is definately the stronger base, he's echo'ing the parable and telling how God will take you back no matter what. Theres a lot of Dustin spreading his Christian beliefs here.. which is almost a strange contrast between the themes of the other half of the tracks.. and I agree with above that pistol is the stand out track.

the songs are pretty much all great, and some of them go together, but overall the album is very inconsistent and thats what holds it back from more stars than 3 or 3.5
awake_and_avenge
02/22/2007
11:04AM
Age: 29
Location
Tucson, AZ
I could not get into this.
babarm87
02/22/2007
12:08PM
Location
Los Angeles
i loved this record

<----- fanboy

postrockpaperscissors

BlakeW
02/22/2007
02:48PM
Location
Oklahoma
I agree with the review... I really enjoyed this album the first time through, and then I got bored with it.
Effigy
02/22/2007
03:17PM
Location
DeKalb, Illinois
zrbrown
Ah. Guess I missed the sarcasm. No harm, no foul. :)

Friends?

lol


it's cool bud =D
Roncag
02/22/2007
03:29PM
Age: 32
Location
Anytown USA
Cliche wannabe rocker turned folk trying to sell records to all the kids who love his other band. This album is terrible, bring on the new Thrice disc.

You play to win the game.

babarm87
02/22/2007
06:44PM
Location
Los Angeles
Roncag
Cliche wannabe rocker turned folk trying to sell records to all the kids who love his other band. This album is terrible, bring on the new Thrice disc.


If his main goal was to sell records, he could have sold way more by just doing acoustic versions of Thrice songs.

postrockpaperscissors

Roncag
02/22/2007
07:22PM
Age: 32
Location
Anytown USA
It's a cred thing, sorry it's still lame.

You play to win the game.

vandenberg
02/22/2007
07:35PM
Age: 24
Location
calgary
little harsh there roncag .. I'm sure if you've got to meet the guy you'd think differently. These songs more suit his personality than thrice songs.
Roncag
02/22/2007
08:44PM
Age: 32
Location
Anytown USA
Nothing against Kensrue, I rather like him, just not his failed attempt at a trendy "scenster" style folk album. Tons of artist who make this type of music full time do it so much better to no acclaim. I just knew when Kensrue release this album though, that a ton of kids would cream over it simply because he was doing something different and branching out.

You play to win the game.

awake_and_avenge
02/22/2007
09:25PM
Age: 29
Location
Tucson, AZ
I can actually see where you're coming from, Adam. There are definitely better artists in this genre that haven't gotten nearly this much attention.
babarm87
02/22/2007
09:39PM
Location
Los Angeles
I like this album and am starting to enjoy folky stuff in general, so I'd like some recommendations plz.

And don't just say Bob Dylan.

I know someone's going to just say Bob Dylan.

postrockpaperscissors

awake_and_avenge
02/22/2007
10:39PM
Age: 29
Location
Tucson, AZ
Here are a few I enjoy, just off the top of my head...not all are pure folk, but rather combine other elements:
http://www.myspace.com/viarosa
http://www.myspace.com/crookedjades
http://www.myspace.com/mothermotherspace
http://www.myspace.com/pgsixband
http://www.myspace.com/sjesau
http://www.ab.cyberhome.ne.jp/%7Epochamal/
xdillonx
02/23/2007
06:08AM
Location
Kansas
Here is some folky stuff that I like:

http://www.myspace.com/denisonwitmer
http://www.myspace.com/gregoryalanisakov
http://www.myspace.com/aaronleemartin
http://www.myspace.com/oldcanes
http://www.myspace.com/isaiahmuller
http://www.myspace.com/rockyvotolato

www.myspace.com/dearaugustine
www.purevolume.com/againstantares

Jeremy Deal
02/23/2007
06:44AM
Age: 32
Scott - you push that damn Viarosa... I'm going to have to finally remember to listen to it tonight. I tried to think of it last night but was too lazy to find the post you had made with their name in it from the other day.

"These are our lives, but did they ever even matter - are we worth remembering?"
- "Tip The Scales"
Rise Against

zrbrown
02/23/2007
06:48AM
Age: 30
Location
Cincinnasty, OH
I like Rocky Votolato, Sufjan Stevens (would you consider him folk?), Dave Barnes, Matt Wertz (not sure about those 2 either) Pedro the Lion / Dave Bazan.

Thats my fairly limited folk experience.
awake_and_avenge
02/23/2007
07:51AM
Age: 29
Location
Tucson, AZ
doubleDriven05
Scott - you push that damn Viarosa...


This will be the last time for a while, I promise :) I just really like em.
Jeremy Deal
02/23/2007
07:59AM
Age: 32
awake_and_avenge
This will be the last time for a while, I promise :) I just really like em.


No worries man - you pimp them twice a day if you want! I'm glad you do mention, because that gives me new leads of music to check out. Besides - if nothing else - I was proving I remembered which film critic was which this time! :)

"These are our lives, but did they ever even matter - are we worth remembering?"
- "Tip The Scales"
Rise Against

awake_and_avenge
02/23/2007
08:05AM
Age: 29
Location
Tucson, AZ
Hahah nice job.
tim
02/23/2007
10:26AM
Age: 28
Location
Green Brook, NJ
i enjoyed this record thoroughly. bought it for 8 bucks and was curious, but i loved the country aspect of it. "pistol" is a great song .. it describes my relationship perfectly :P
BlakeW
02/23/2007
05:10PM
Location
Oklahoma
babarm87
I like this album and am starting to enjoy folky stuff in general, so I'd like some recommendations plz.

And don't just say Bob Dylan.

I know someone's going to just say Bob Dylan.


I'm gonna have to agree with zrbrown; Pedro The Lion/Dave Bazan. Great stuff. He's an amazing lyricist.