This is Joe’s second collection of songs, following his 2023 album 'Empty Passenger Seat’ , which garnered a lot of attention from those of discerning musical path. It’s another fine selection of acutely observed musings on relationships, through country-tinged ballads and mid-tempo, catchy Tunes.
The influences are easy to spot and displayed with pride. 70s singer songwriters, Jimmy Webb, James Taylor, and even a touch of Petty and the Eagles (Who even get a name check on the title Track.) But they are more contemporary comparisons as well, Lyle Lovett and Vince Gill come to mind.
Unfortunately, like many other singer/songwriters, Joe hasn’t really been lucky in love, and the album relates tales of emotional heartache and sliding door moments gone wrong. Take this from ‘Strangers to lovers’.
“It happened in a minute, and you almost passed me by,
I was holding a door, and you gave me a smile,
Life’s twists and turns left us where we began,
We went from strangers to lovers and back to strangers again”
That heartache is acutely observed in ‘Checkmate’, ‘Another sad song’ and ‘Man you need’ with some quite lovely lap steel on the later.
There is an almost sepia-painted, cowboy country quality to the drink and remorse-laden lament of ‘Brown paper bag’
It’s a hugely enjoyable piece of work with real high spots on the up-tempo numbers, particularly on ‘Hand me down heart’, which kicks the album off to a real rollicking start.
“Don’t bring me a heart that’s all used up, anything less than everything it ain’t enough
It’s got to be new from the start, so Don’t hand me a hand me down heart, no, don’t hand me a hand me down heart. “
The centre piece of the release is the wistful, contemplative title track, which conjures up a quite cinematic, contemplative search for love and happiness. The ‘Valentine’ of the title is a small town in west Texas and relates the tale of a woman travelling the dusty roads reminiscing about her past, with a little twist at the end. Think Thelma and Louise, with just Thelma in the car, driving through a searing desert background. Wonderful!
Joe apparently first took to the stage at the age of five, and encouraged by his father, the lugubrious comedian, Phil Cool, and there is huge confidence on display here.
The production is quite scaled back, allowing the listener to dive into the thoughtful lyrics and melodies.
It’s an album that bears repeated play, with his warm, captivating voice and catchy refrains. Say it quietly, Joe Martin is making a bit of noise in Americana
circles.