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 In
a career that now spans more than two decades, Jules Shear has
built a remarkably durable body of work that's established him
as one of America's most respected singer/songwriters, with
a devoted following that includes the diverse array of artists
who've covered his compositions. Shear's lyrical and melodic
gifts are as sharp as ever on his Zoë
/ Rounder debut Allow Me, a typically memorable
collection that effortlessly embodies the singular blend of
pop tunefulness and emotional insight that have established
him as a songwriter's songwriter.
Allow Me maintains Shear's usual standard of melodic
craft and lyrical wisdom, while exploring a loose, organic musical
approach that's well-suited to the guarded optimism of his new
songs, exemplified by the buoyantly punchy anthems like "Hard
Enough", "The More That I'm Around You" and "Love
With You" as well as the more introspective acoustic numbers
"Too Soon Gone" and "Nothing is New" and
the Motown-inflected "Deep".
The 11-track collection was recorded in intimate surroundings
-- and on a relatively modest budget -- in a small studio on
14th St. in Manhattan run by producer and longtime collaborator
Stewart Lerman, who previously worked with Shear on the albums
The Great Puzzle and Between Us. Allow
Me’s musical cast also includes guest vocalists Susan
Cowsill and Vicki Peterson (of Cowsills / Bangles / Psycho Sisters
/ Continental Drifters fame) and Suzzy Roche of the Roches.
While 10 of Allow Me's songs are all-new Shear compositions,
the album's closing track, "Too Soon Gone," dates
back to an unreleased project Shear worked on with The Band.
Shear wrote the moving lament with pianist Stan Szelest, as
a tribute to the late Richard Manuel, whom Szelest had replaced
in the legendary group. But Szelest himself passed away before
the song could be recorded (The Band cut it on their 1993
album Jericho). The song was so well-received when
Shear revived it in live performance recently that he decided
to add it to Allow Me; ironically, Shear's version turned
out to be an inadvertent but poignant eulogy to another member
of The Band, Rick Danko, a friend and sometime songwriting
partner of Shear's who died at the end of 1999.
The sense of loss on "Too Soon Gone" contrasts
Allow Me's otherwise upbeat, if unmistakably barbed,
focus. "I'm sure this is a happier record than the last
one, because I'm happier," Shear comments. "But
even when I'm happy, I'm still always feeling like the axe
is going to fall. It's harder to write positive songs, but
I think it's a good thing to put out into the world.
" Every time I start a record," he continues, "I
kind of think 'OK, what do I miss doing?' Because my last
record was kind of downbeat and mellow, there was a natural
reaction for me to want to rock more, so we did. There are
a few songs on the album that are more or less me sitting
in a room playing guitar, just to give it some balance, but
the main idea was to rock."
Shear's uncanny ability to avoid repeating himself is all
the more remarkable in light of the longevity of his recording
career. The Pittsburgh native first came to prominence in
Los Angeles, where he served an apprenticeship of sorts as
one of three singer/writers in the country-rock combo Funky
Kings, with whom he recorded one album before forming the
fondly remembered Jules and the Polar Bears, which recorded
three albums during the late '70s (the last of which wasn't
released until 1996).
Relocating to New York, he launched his solo career with 1983's
acclaimed Todd Rundgren-produced Watch Dog, which
set the stage for a series of diverse but consistently impressive
releases including the sonically sleek set The Eternal
Return, the low-key demo collection Demo-Itis,
the unadorned voice-and-guitar effort The Third Party,
and the ambitiously crafted The Great Puzzle and
Healing Bones. 1997's Between Us was one
of Shear's most audacious efforts to date, a unique set of
original duets on which he was accompanied by an eclectic
assortment of vocal partners, including Rosanne Cash, Paula
Cole, and Margot Timmins of Cowboy Junkies.
Between solo projects, Jules found time to form the four-man
Reckless Sleepers and record the collaborative album Big Boss
Sounds, and he helped to launch MTV's influential Unplugged
series, formulating the show's initial concept as well as
serving as host for its first season.
Shear's varied catalogue and captivating live performances
have won him a devoted fan base that includes numerous fellow
artists, many of whom have recorded his compositions. The
latter group includes Cyndi Lauper (who scored a Top Five
hit with his "All Through the Night"), the Bangles
(who had a hit with his "If She Knew What She Wants"),
Alison Moyet (whose cover of Shear's "Whispering Your
Name" was a U.K. smash), The Band, Roger McGuinn, 10,000
Maniacs, Curtis Stigers and Jeremy Toback. Fairport Convention
co-founder Iain Matthews even recorded an entire album of
Shear compositions, 1988's Walking a Changing Line.
"As I get older, I care more about the timeless aspect
of making records, and less about making my records sound
'current' or 'competitive' I'm still always looking for that
same thrill I got when I was a kid, when I'd hear something
great on the radio and be completely blown away by it. I try
to keep in touch with that feeling and let the rest of it
fall by the wayside. At this point, I kind of realize that
I'm not gonna end up on the cover of Rolling Stone, and that
I've got a deeper reason for doing this.
" I'm not interested in getting that one big hit and
then being able to retire; I still want to be making records
when I'm an old guy," concludes Shear, who's already
recorded his next project, Raisins in the Sun, a
supersession collaboration with an all-star cast that includes
fellow iconoclasts Chuck Prophet and Jim Dickinson. "My
feeling is that if you keep doing good work, good things will
happen. Good things have happened every time I've put out
a record, and nothing bad has ever happened to me as a result
of putting out a record. So I feel like I'm ahead of the game."
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