Owen Temple,
Right Here and Now

Label: El Paisano
Year: 2002

(3 out of 5)

A couple years ago Owen Temple walked away from his job as a financial analyst to pursue a music career full-time. It's clear from the singer/songwriter's third album that his brief corporate experience left him disenchanted.

If there's a thread that ties together the songs on Right Here and Now, it's that it is never too late to leave behind the safety net and take a chance on life.

From the Henry Miller-inspired "No Daring Is Fatal" to the anti-corporation "Move Around Money," from the Woody Guthrie homage "Faith Without Works" to the missed chances of "Little Sweet Loss," Temple demonstrates a compulsion to save listeners from regret and missed opportunities.

Sometimes this approach works, and sometimes it doesn't. Not surprising results for a 26-year-old who is still finding his way in the music world, not to mention life itself.

Gifted with a rough-edged voice that echoes a countrified James Taylor, Temple finds the most success when he softens his polemical crusade.

"This Ain't Las Vegas" is a catchy, bluesy tribute to throwing caution to the wind when it comes to matters of love. "That's Not Something I Could Do" covers the flipside, when keeping love alive becomes a struggle. Each song features honest lyrics and solid instrumentation, and each highlights Temple's talent on both sides of the singer/songwriter equation.

But when he delves into the didactic, the songwriting effort shows through too clearly.

Take "Move Around Money" for example: I'm bought and sold, I'm glad I got the chance / To express myself with Gap khaki pants / I think I'll make a statement, I've got something to say / I use American Express when I'm asked to pay. Corporations are soulless. We get the point.

Temple is a talented songwriter along the lines of self-professed heroes Guy Clark and Townes Van Zandt, but for now his songwriting is a bit too earnest to achieve their lofty heights.

Perhaps he would benefit by studying their examples: both were known to write and re-write a song—sometimes over a course of years—to get every line just right.

With his distinctive voice and unique experiences, if Owen Temple can ease off the sermons and grow from being a good songwriter to a great one, he'll become a force to be reckoned with.

Buy: Lone Star Music, Amazon

August 6, 2004