Craig Finn's second solo album, Faith in the Future, is like its predecessor in the sense it a definite departure from the sound of The Hold Steady. However the constants that remains are the lyrical genius of Craig Finn, there are few lyricists alive today who have the ability to create character based narratives the way he does, and his unique vocal styling. Those two things, play a key role in what does and does not work on this album.
Album opener, “Maggie I've Been Searching For Our Son†is a solid track. It also sets the tone for the album, for the most part, musically as it relies on a simple strummed guitar with little to know distortion to back the lyrics, which while taking a step away from the aforementioned narrative style still manages to create a great mood. You're given a sense of desperation for change in one's life, wandering the country, and a sense that the son Craig Finn keeps speaking to may well be metaphorical .
The rest of the album, is held up by Craig Finn's ability to write lyrical character narratives seemingly at will. Which is the real problem with this album, lyrically while the album never falters it certainly makes you yearn for the musical backing of The Hold Steady. The biggest issue with this album, and perhaps the biggest fault I'll place on Craig Finn, is he's not a good vocalist. He has the ability to make his point, but there is a reason that for years he barked his lyrics out rather than sing them. And it's the same reason he's backed by one of the more expressive bands in rock music nowadays when he works with The Hold Steady. He lacks not only a dynamic voice, but a distinctive one and when the music that backs him falls flat he suffers for it.
Don't take that the wrong way, musical simplicity can be many a splendid thing. I'd certainly never fault The Ramones for not making their sound more complicated, and the one time they attempted to with Phil Spector behind the boards there were fans who felt the material suffered for it. The difference, of course, is that while Joey Ramone had a discernible vocal range and the ability to convey different emotions using it. Craig Finn has a rather one tone voice, and his ability to set the mood the lyrics create is limited, largely, to the phrasing of his delivery. This is why having a band of great players like members of The Hold Steady, especially when Franz Nicolay was still in the band, behind him gave such great emotional depth to his lyrics.
Luckily, this only takes away from the album about half the time, and the other half the songs aren't bad they just feel incomplete or lacking in the sheer dynamic energy we're used to hear behind Craig Finn. When the sound does work though, the simplicity comes together with the vocal delivery to create a sound that almost succeeds at a higher level than anything found on what is arguably The Hold Steady's weakest album Heaven Is Whenever.
One of the tracks where this more minimalist sound works to near perfection, is “Sarah, Calling from a Hotel.†The song recounts reconnecting with an old friend unexpectedly … and because it's Craig Finn not under the best conditions. It also features what may well be the single most harrowing lyric Finn has ever put to paper in the line, “Here he comes. Oh God, I gotta go. Here he comes he's gotta gun.†The line is a great refrain for a song where we can't quite tell who the man in Sarah's life is. He's certainly not a good man, but whether he's her deal, pimp, or just an abusive boyfriend is left largely to the listener.
Other highlights include, “Going to a Show.†“Saint Peter Upside Down,†and album closer “I Was Doing Fine (Then a Few People Died). Not surprisingly, these tracks all have a bit more active drumming or a piano/keyboard part that does more than support the gently strummed acoustic guitar.
Overall, the high points vastly outweigh the low points. The issue is so much of this album in terms of vocal delivery and music runs so close to the middle. For all the praise I can give Craig Finn for writing a great album lyrically. I found myself frequently looking for something to pull me into the music. It's not a terrible album, but it lacks the memorable moments that have made so much of Craig Finn's work with The Hold Steady some of the most well regarded rock music to come out in the past decade.