Conny Ochs – Troubadour
Release Date: 25th October 2024
Label: Exile on Mainstream Records
Bandcamp
Genre: Folk, Rock, Singer/Songwriter.
FFO: Woodie Guthrie, Townes Van Zandt, Wino, Leadbelly, Billy Bragg, Leonard Cohen, Elliot Smith, Dax Riggs.
Review By: Paul Franklin
Since 2010 German singer/songwriter Conny Ochs has been pedalling his ‘expressive and emotional’ song craft around the globe. New studio album, Troubadour, marks his return to the English language after his previous album was sung in his native tongue. It also returns to the early days and the roots of his music, with a very stripped down approach. Almost entirely vocals and guitar.
The album’s ignition key is turned, and Holy Motors sparks into life and idles with a smooth, comforting Folk/Rock vibe. Cool Black Stars continues the mood, and you feel yourself settling back, ready to be taken on an easy ride. Unfortunately, Mr Ochs soon becomes too caught up in his own personal journey and forgets about everyone else. Yes, it can be very satisfying to be in control behind the wheel, sweeping expertly along a glorious road. You feel every little nuance of the vehicle, man and machine in perfect harmony. But you have to be aware that you have passengers who are not feeling it and are in fact a bit bored. “Are we there yet?”
In the extensive press release, he states that ‘It’s about maintaining an intimate connection with my art and returning to the essence of why I started making music in the first place: the pursuit of the ‘tower of song’. Based on that, and the rest of Troubadour, it’s clear that realisation hasn’t hit Conny Ochs yet.
The natural habitat for music of this ilk is the small, intimate club. The kind of place where these small, intimate songs can breathe out and make an emotional connection with the audience. I suspect that if they were faced with the self-indulgent dirge-like melancholia that makes up the rest of the album, most of the audience would have left their drinks unfinished and headed home a long time ago.
Troubadour’s Crazy Horse sounds like it should be standing in line outside the gates of a glue factory. Whilst Wasp Trap would keep the manufacturers of Prozac living the high life (no pun intended) for decades.
There is significant emphasis placed on the notion that this album sees Conny stripping back the musical accoutrements of the last decade and a half and adopting a ‘very naked approach to the essence of his craft.’ Very brave and idealistic, but never underestimate the benefit of a comfy pair of pants.
(2.5 / 5)
