The latest album from Duncan Sheik, "White Limousine," is a well thought out and crafted project. Not too many boundaries pushed, but a lot of time went into the writing of each and every track. The lyrics and the arrangements are some of the strongest out there today. This album is probably his strongest release yet. As always, Sheik's vocals are strong, solid and gentle.
"Nothing Fades" is closest to what mainstream audiences can compare to his previous releases to radio and most similar to the popular, "Barely Breathing," with strong lead guitar and great all-around rock sound. The topic is a bit different this time though. He is to-the-point about how "we all die." Giving hope to the subject though, he pushes to what we can discover during our lifetime to make it all worthwhile. Bittersweet at its best. "Land" follows along the same formula, but "Nothing Fades" shines.
"I Don't Believe in Ghosts" shows off some very beautiful string arrangements and piano. Sheik has to know how these both compliment his voice so well. If you listen closely, there is a little bit of electronica that slips in, similar to the sound of William Orbit's "Pieces in a Modern Style," on this track and it has never sounded better.
Other tracks like, "Shopping" and his lead single, "White Limousine," are bass-heavy and show a rougher side. The latter hints to his thoughts on the current state of the nation so it probably wouldn't be a huge hit on the radio simply due to the topic, but it sure is nice to see some attitude with intelligence to a nice rock track.
Sheik's strength is in the 'longing' and 'sadness' emotions. A lot of the tracks prove this without stretching too far from his formula. It does kind of make the listener want to hear a happier/pop track somewhere in the mix, along the lines of "On a High" from his last album. He's pretty good with those, too.
The final song is probably the best track of the album. "Hymn" has lyrics about a relationship between the singer and his lady. She wants to know "how many sunrises they'll watch from start to finish," but the impression from the way Sheik delivers the chorus implies that it is more of a question of the depth and strength of their love. This track shows how well Sheik knows how to write a song. Hopefully, he'll be getting some recognition that is very much deserved this time.
