Originally published in the Saturday Star, 13 May 2006
Jose Gonzalez
Veneer
This album is difficult to classify. It’s like nothing I’ve ever heard before. Due to the instrumentation and vocals accompanied by the plucking / strumming of a classical guitar, this music might fit into the folk category, but it doesn’t. It’s far more intelligent than that. There are Latin rhythms of bossa nova in here, there’s a classical influence, there’s Bob Dylan, and there’s a heap of Gonzalez. The result is a quiet, melancholic, dark, moody album achieved through a tasteful minimalism. The minimalism, however, is made up for in massive doses of musical genius. Veneer is far more demanding on the listener than most music available today. There is a mystery to it that is rare. It takes time for the listener to comprehend the different song structures, the deftness with which Gonzalez plucks at his guitar, his haunting, almost inaudible voice, and the solemnity in his lyrics. But once it seeps beneath your skin, it’s hard to let it go.
February 22, 2007 at 12:19 pm
[...] (thanks to Karl at Just Music for the invite). Gonzalez is a fascinating musician, as mentioned here and here in my previous reviews of his South African releases. He hails from Europe, but is of [...]
October 24, 2007 at 1:19 pm
[...] In Our Nature does not differ greatly from Gonzalez’s highly acclaimed debut, Veneer (read my Veneer review and my B-Sides Collected review). Minimalism remains the order of the day with Gonzalez fortunately [...]