Chuck Prophet

Pure, guileless rock abandon. Chuck Prophet's genius lies in assimilating a wide variety of genres into his essentially Stonesy architecture ahead of the standard curve. From the seminal '80s alt-country shimmer of Green on Red to his incredibly diverse solo sonic quilt - early Americana rocker/mid-period electronic folkie/latter-day style hybridist - Prophet has engagingly exemplified his surname. On Soap and Water, his Yep Roc debut, Prophet continues to defy easy categorization, seamlessly weaving together his myriad roles: chunky rocker ("Freckle Song"), sensitive pop balladeer ("Would You Love Me"), sonic dabbler ("Doubter Out of Jesus (All Over You)"). For his considerable talents as performer/arranger/stylist, the ribbon that neatly ties the package is Prophet's lyrical gift, as his beat story-songs pulse with novelistic detail, noirish humor and poetic ambiguity and bristle with pure, guileless rock abandon. Originality is not easy in the derivative rock world but Chuck Prophet has blazed genre trails for over two decades with no signs of running out of inspiration or desire. --Fred Mills