Joseph Arthur is a bard of our times. Junk all those fiddle-dee-dee connotations, negate any sense of antiquity you associate with the word, and reach for its true essence. It is something beyond the singer-songwriter, a term too broad to do justice to the passion with which he performs.
Joseph Arthur is a mainline conduit from the collective spirit of Western urban society on the verge of breakdown, and expresses that spirit within his art.
He'll come on like Counting Crows one minute, the Dave Matthews Band the next, or
become a Leonard Cohen wannabe ... after your guard is down and you've started playing name-that-influence, he grabs your attention back with massive hooks ...
Big City Secrets is provocative ear candy that will provide the listener additional taste sensations the longer he spends with it. Daddy's On Prozac will likely lure those with a wicked sense of humor, but the subdued Good About Me, the title track and the waltzing, harmonica-driven Mercedes will still resonate after several listens. Solid and crafty, Big City Secrets should create more than mere ripples here in the States as well as his adopted home in the United Kingdom.
Press review from: Cmj New Music Report (USA)
...a rich, mellow, free-wheeling work...it hints at greatness.
31 December 1997
Press review from: The Daily Telegraph (UK)
Arthurs message is made intriguing by his elegantly concise language, and the music is full of taut rhythms against languid tunes, with a distinctive sound palette...
27 June 1997
Press review from: Manchester Evening News (UK)
His record is like a pseudo-miraculous drug - one that is highly addictive and one from which it will be hard to withdraw.
November/December 1996
Press review from: Magic (France)
This is a rare debut album signed by a sincere artist. It deserves to be discovered.
November 1996
Press review from: Encore (France)
..an example of true constitution, sensitivity and originality.
10 November 1996
Press review from: Midi Libre (France)
If you miss Joseph Arthur today, youll hear him later...Hes here to stay.
November 1996
Press review from: Laffiche (France)
..the only one able to quickly express the anger and love, experiences and sounds of our time.
May 1997
Press review from: Rockerilia (Italy)
Joseph Arthur doesnt need any recommendation...his voice and lyrics are going to make him a rising star in the next few years.
15 May 1997
Press review from: Rock Star (Italy)
A nightmare, splendid and not born by chance, that finds its roots in the most true songwriting.
4 April 1997
Press review from: Jam (Italy)
Joseph Arthur is an artist worth asking about. Hes been where many of us live, on the outside, uncertain of whether a career in music was actually in the cards. And now...hes played a winning hand...
June 1997
Press review from: Musician (USA)
Arthur is a troubadour with a twist. He weaves vivid and richly detailed tales, but he does so with a sense of irony that sets him far apart from the hyper-sensitive competition.
31 May 1997
Press review from: Billboard (USA)
..a hypnotic threading of delicious guitar flavors, percussive oddities, vibraphones and a godly voice that starts in a deep howl and falls into a sensuous falsetto.
7 April 1997
Press review from: Hits (USA)
Real Sugar
New Dawn
