Review Summary: To: Jonny. Love, Jonny.
When asked in an interview what he thought of fans admiring his talent, Jonny Craig answered “I really respect that. I’m glad you can get behind it, but a lot of people just gotta understand that I make music so that I can fully live. You know? Cause I don’t think if I didn’t make music I probably wouldn’t be alive. So I don’t make music for a certain reason or a certain point. And I’m glad that tons of people can get behind the songs I’ve made and understand the reasons, but I make music for myself so that I can really truly live. And be free.” That quote really shouldn’t surprise anyone with any general knowledge of Craig’s track record, but it is still stunning to see the extent to which this human being centers the universe around himself. Despite his incredible talent, this has always been Jonny’s flaw. Unfortunately, in his debut solo record,
A Dream is a Question You Don’t Know How to Answer, this flaw hinders Craig’s ability to craft a wonderful piece of art. But what does he care? He’s Jonny Craig, bitch, and he drives in reverse! All satire aside, this record is chocked full of self-reference and was made by Jonny, for Jonny; therefore satisfying his zeppelin-sized ego, even if its effectiveness is knocked down a few pegs by said zeppelin.
A Dream… starts off humbly enough with the short acoustic intro track, “So Many of Us Hide Our Black Hearts.” From the Craig crooning, acoustic strumming, and subtle electric bits, it transitions nicely into the strongest song on the album, “Istillfeelher, Part III.” In the first few seconds, the listener is greeted by what becomes the most present musical identity of the record: light drumming backing a standout, grooving bass line with the arpeggiating guitar in the back seat. In the case of 'Istillfeelher,' this fantastic ensemble is matched first with Craig’s angelic oo-oh-oh-oh’s. The song then proceeds through the verse into the astounding chorus which features Craig’s most impressively sung and haunting lines:
“Do the words still haunt you? Can you secure its claim? Bottled up like smoke floating over flames.”
The arresting force of the first real song on the album lifts expectations of what’s to follow. Sadly however, the rest doesn’t quite live up.
Three of the strongest four remaining tracks appear directly after Istillfeelher. Craig reaches and maintains a certain momentum throughout most of “What I Would Give to be Australian” and “I’ve Been Hearing That You’re Freaky”; the former featuring a guest vocal appearance from Allison Green of Millionaires, and the latter possessing the strongest bridge on the album and a chorus with Craig joined by backing male vocals. The fifth track, “7 AM, 2 Bottles, and the Wrong Road,” is where Craig begins to slip. Although he completely slays the line
”I have a queen, why would I settle for a f***ing maid,” Jonny decides to overuse it a bit, and after an interesting, lusty bridge, the song stops on a dime and progresses no further.
Despite the fact that he just stopped on that dime (see the irony?), Craig somehow slams into a wall on “The Garbage Pail Kid Gangbang.” Musically, it’s a very light, joyous-sounding tune (especially the chorus), but lyrically it’s the point where the artist’s flaw really kills him. Egocentric lines and feelings had popped up here and there prior to this track, but had never been enough to really derail Craig’s efforts. Make no mistake; 'Garbage Pail' is a full-scale train wreck of arrogance and douchebaggery. Specific lines can’t even be outlined, because the entire track is simply Craig making himself look ignorant and childish. Because of this, I can’t help but to view it as an extremely condescending piece of music. Perhaps it was done on purpose, but either way, it represents the low point on the album.
From that moment on,
A Dream… basically goes through the motions. Nothing ever really happens in the slow-moving “Taking Time for all the Right Things,” “No Matter How Hard I Dig, They Always See Right Through Me” is simply an extension of the introduction track, and although Jonny actually lays himself down in “I’m Jonny Craig Bitch and I Drive in Reverse,” it’s simply too late.
'I’m Jonny...' would have been a good caboose on the derailed train both musically and message-wise, but Craig instead decided to end with “Children of Divorce,” which probably should have either been sandwiched somewhere in the middle, or been some sort of bonus track. On paper, it's your run-of-the-mill acoustic song, but Craig’s melancholy voice lifts it to what could’ve been a masterpiece if not for lyrics that completely miss the point and the message that Craig should’ve strived for. In the aforementioned interview, he explains that the song is about a girl he had been with for a long time (he even stoops so low as to mention her name) that told him she was pregnant. According to him, he was unsure whether or not the baby was his, and she told him that if he left her, he would never be a part of the child’s life. Such a life-altering and serious topic could’ve certainly warranted more meaningful and less simplistic lyrics than it got. Despite the line
“sadly enough, this song’s not to hurt you. Just to show the world that I’m free,” Craig’s ego again permeates its way into what he’s saying, making him sound, quite frankly, like an ass.
The pro’s and con’s of
A Dream… are pretty black and white. Jonny Craig is not only one of the most gifted singers alive today, but also has undeniable songwriting ability. His mindset and addictions, however, are serious problems that he probably can’t ever overcome. When deciding what to rate this album, I finally settled on a 3.8, which would obviously round up to a 4.0 here on Sputnik. The only problem is, a 4.0 just doesn’t seem appropriate. Because of that, I’ve chosen to go with 3.5. It’s sad to think that a person with such ability’s ceiling is a 3.5, but unless he makes some serious, permanent changes in his life, Jonny Craig will never be the artist that he could be. Maybe deep down within the Mariana’s Trench of Jonny Craig, his true dream is to create music heralded as classic instead of simply heralding himself. If such a dream does exist, how to get there is a question Jonny doesn’t know how to answer.
Recommended Tracks:
“Istillfeelher, Part III”
“What I Would Give to be Australian”
“I’ve Been Hearing That You’re Freaky”
“Children of Divorce”
