Review Summary: Chrissy gives his babies what they want...Girls Girls Girls
Christopher Owens insists that he's found happiness and yet he still can't help but sing like a man who hasn't had a Tinder match in months. His music flirts with the retro rock n' roll stylings of the 50's and 60's and when you picture him in that era it's always as the prom date Ma and Pops dreaded their angel bringing home; in the accompanying imagined Yearbook Chrissybaby would surely have been voted 'Most likely to call out his mother's name during sex and cry himself to sleep'. Owens has movie star looks, as attested by his various high profile modelling shoots, but if you were to cast him it would surely be alongside Ryan Gosling as his errant lank haired little brother, the one who accidentally OD's after breaking up with his girl for the tenth time in a fortnight; the last time you saw eyes like these was when staring at a poster showing a wincing puppy under the slogan 'Stop the Abuse'.
Of course this lovelorn loser shtick is exactly what made his songs so engaging on the two Girls albums and you'd have imagined for his solo work he'd have kept true to this character; two solo albums in and Owens is living proof that there always remains the capacity to screw up a winning formula. In both cases he was guilty of over egging his musical approach; second solo release 'A New Testament' may have provided Owens with ample opportunities to wear cowboy hats and work with more gospel singers than you'd find in a Broadway production of 'Sister Act' but the combination when paired with that wounded voice was incongruous beyond belief. The same puppy from the poster was now sporting a rhinestone collar and paddling in a swimming pool filled with marshmallows and Sunny Delight.
To his great credit Owens appears to have got the message, stating that as difficult as it is for him to imagine listeners not enjoying his recent stylistic shifts he now understands that in straying too far you can offside your existing fans. 'Chrissybaby Forever' marks a back to basics return to the Girls sound of old, though admittedly on a slightly more low key level in terms of both its approach and ambitions. On solo album number three Owens' voice is afforded space to breathe and usual service has resumed, his tone back to alternating between 'just rolled out of bed and taking my first toke of the day' and 'aw shucks, now I'm about to cry'. The album kicks off with a signature Owen's opener and it's easy to forgive the title 'Another Loser F* Up' playing to the gallery thanks to its familiar scruffy charm and irrepressible energy; the one issue harder to overlook is that it's still a shade weaker than the similar Girl's openers 'Lust for Life' and 'Honey Bunny', a recurring pattern on 'Chrissybaby'.
'Coffee and Tea' and 'Me Oh My' feel less overfamiliar, boasting some of the most obvious pop appeal of any of Owen's oeuvre. Theres a renewed sense of playfulness to these songs and most tracks contain cute production details; the dopily titled 'Heroine (Got Nothing on You)' features offbeat echoed hiccups; 'Out of Bed (Lazy Head)' has an adorably crappy birdsong sample running in the background; and the vocals on the chorus of 'Coffee and Tea' trail off to pleasingly trippy effect. Most of the best of these moments are found on the first half of the album after which there is a noticeable quality dip, in particular the four songs starting with 'Waste Away' flow into each other to form a mini-suite of sorts, but there aren't enough interesting ideas packed into this stretch to warrant sixteen minutes of tape. 'Come On and Kiss Me' is a rare latter album highlight and proves that when Owens bottles his 'A New Testament' style sunshine into a single two minute composition it's far more palatable.
Despite this album marking a welcome return to some degree of form it's still hard to shake the feeling Owens would be better served operating in a full band setup alongside collaborators who'll help coax him out of his song writing comfort zone; it's clear he's already repeating himself in places and his musical instincts for experimentation also have to be questioned after all those recent dead ends. Usually a solo career allows an artist to increase the level of intimacy and creative freedom but these were qualities Girls already had in abundance; even the best moments here feel second tier when held up against his previous band's output and that has to be a worry. Here's hoping he considers his next move carefully, we don't wanna see you modelling no more Chrissybaby.
