Turning Point

On his live album, East Asheville Hardware, David Wilcox displayed a rare knack for delivering comic songs with the sort of deadpan wryness that only makes the punchlines even funnier. Unfortunately, the pop-folk singer/songwriter packed that talent away before making his studio album, Turning Point, which is so sober and sensitive that it has the effect of a strong sleeping pill. The North Carolina troubadour wrote or cowrote all dozen songs, and his melodies are pleasant without being memorable, while his lyrics are full of the vaguely worded aphorisms which could mean anything--or nothing at all.

Wilcox's handsome tenor bears an uncanny resemblance to James Taylor's and the younger man alternates intimate, acoustic ballads with electrified, jazz-pop midtempo numbers just like his hero. Wilcox never quite matches the sumptuous tone and precise phrasing of Taylor's best work, but Turning Point is definitely easy on the ear. It doesn't place much demand on the brain either, not when it offers philosophical insights along the lines of "We don't have the time for the stars to align; let's change our fate with desire" (from "Show Me the Key"), or "Just one thing can kill this dream--to compromise your vision" (from the title track). --Geoffrey Himes