Description
New Sounds is the sole full-length album by the American singer and songwriter Bob Desper, independently released on Rose City Sound Records in 1974. The album was engineered by Greg Branson at Rex Recording Co. in Portland, Oregon. All songs written by Bob Desper except “To a Friend of Mine” featuring lyrics by Chris Christosen.
There are many performers who are entertainers. There are some who are communicators and are capable of “connection” with their audiences.
There are the well trained technicians and those with soul. There are a rare few who have been endowed with both incredible ability and a natural depth of character.
Bob’s quiet style is remarkably deceptive. His six string guitar is made to sound like a twelve string symphony.
His voice is quiet and relaxing. Through his own words, there is exposed a man who is at peace with himself, at peace with the world about him, and one who has deep communion with his Creator.
His music breathes Life.
– Wayne R. Lund [A note featured on the back of the LP sleeve]
New Sounds, the only album ever released by blind singer and guitarist Bob Desper, came out on a tiny Portland, Ore. label in 1974.
It eventually became a prized collectible for fans of downer-folk, with copies selling for a thousand bucks or more. The record certainly has its charms: Desper’s yearning voice encompasses Tim Buckley’s dreaminess and Chris Isaak’s melancholy, while the sole accompaniment – his ringing acoustic guitar – is gorgeous, despite what must have been a minuscule recording budget.
But the songwriting is simply adequate, offering pleasantly forgettable melodies and mild lyrics that reflect a spiritual – and sometimes specifically Christian – bent with clichés like, “Just remember there’s a better day.” Discourage Records’ vinyl reissue of New Sounds comes with a bonus 7-inch of Desper’s 1972 single, «Dry Up Those Tears», with its obvious George Harrison influence. Too bad there wasn’t a sequel to 1974’s promising beginning; though still living in Oregon, Desper hasn’t recorded since. [Jon Young, Paste Magazine, August 19, 2010]
> Apple Music (https://music.apple.com/us/album/new-sounds/1472321528)
LP tracklist:
Side One
A1. “Darkness Is Like A Shadow”
A2. “It’s Too Late”
A3. “Lonely Man”
A4. “To A Friend Of Mine”
Side Two
B1. “Let It Shine For You”
B2. “Don’t You Cry For Me”
B3. “Liberty”
B4. “Time Is Almost Over”
Note: Bob Desper also released a two-sided 7-inch vinyl single in 1972, featuring “Dry Up Those Tears”, b/w “The World Is Crying out for Love”.
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