Opaline

Japanese version featuring a bonus track

J.R. Richards's tenor voice oscillates between the silky ease of one who knows the girls in the audience will be drying their eyes and the disgruntled ache of a teenager who's just been grounded. He plays both of these aspects well throughout Opaline, lending his voice greater versatility than it may actually possess. Though they often drift pleasantly, Richards's lyrics are never vague--they state with straightforward eloquence that this whole "life" thing is not easy, just worth it. The music complements the vocal work simply and well, creating an overall sound for Dishwalla that seems refreshed and reinvigorated rather than new or different. Do not expect flashy and surprising new musical work, but if you liked Dishwalla before--even if you never admitted it but secretly did--nothing here will disappoint. --Mark Huntsman