Craig Finn, Clear Heart Full Eyes

Craig Finn is following the Bruce Springsteen model of solo albums, which is apt; his band, The Hold Steady, is so influenced by Springsteen’s E-Street Band, it verges on tribute. Like Springsteen, Craig views his solo effort as an opportunity for introspection. I’m happy to report that this does not mean Finn has turned out a somber navel-gazer. Instead, it’s an heartfelt mix of folk, gospel and classic rock, featuring new sounds for Finn, but never straying so far from The Hold Steady that it sounds like a side project. Clear Heart Full Eyes belongs to the same family of albums as The Hold Steady’s catalog. Does it stake its own claim as a necessary work? I’m not sure. It’s certainly a lot of fun, but how much different it is than a Hold Steady album that might have come out in its place is hard to gauge. But while The Hold Steady has a jangly barband aesthetic, Craig Finn solo is calmer, like maybe he won’t spit as much in concert as he does on his regular gig. You’ll still be at the bar, but instead of raising your glass, sweating, and singing along, you’ll be in a corner with a friend, in one of those addictive conversations that gets funnier and louder as last call approaches. Clear Heart Full Eyes is the sound of figuring out if anyone still sells pizza after 2 a.m.

New Friend Jesus is an upbeat Americana number, and aside from a few sarcastic line readings, barely secular. Religion and mortality come up a few times on Clear Heart Full Eyes, mostly tongue-in-cheek, but noticeably part of a tradition as well. Going solo has allowed Finn to explore a sound verging on Bluegrass, and he treats it with respect even while giving a nod to the fact that he doesn’t fully fit into that world.

The album follows a pattern of sorts, splitting its time between those old-time religion sing-alongs, Alt-country flavored ballads (some, like Terrified Eyes, seem tailor-made for two-stepping), and songs you’d be hard pressed to tell from Hold Steady outtakes. I’m fine with all three, frankly, if none necessarily justify giving the rest of the band a break. The best of the lot is No Future. Finn takes a pessimistic look back, at the version of ourselves we leave in small towns, and the versions that go back, either victorious, or defeated. It’s like if Young Adult were a song. “One thing’s for certain: the devil’s a person. I met him at the Riverside Perkins.” I wanted to hear more about what went down at Perkins all those years ago. And besides that, is Perkins open at two in the morning? We should get pie.

Grade: B