Rod MacDonald radiates romantic contentment on his fifth album, opening with "Happy All the Time," in which he accedes to the wishes of his "girl [who] told me she'd had enough/of all my songs about losing love." Instead, he sings of finding love, notably in "On Any Old Sunday," which recounts his parents' first meeting, and of experiencing it in such songs as "I Can't Believe (How Good You've Been to Me)" and "Love for All Seasons." Of course, it isn't just that
MacDonald's earlier songs were about losing love, it's that they adopted an outsider's stance, whereas the author of "Out in the Country," a reminiscence of youth, seems much more reconciled to the world. But lest we think that love has made for a de-fanged
MacDonald, he also includes several biting topical songs, notably "The Last Train to Pontiac," which criticizes the electorate for voting the Republicans in, and "Who Built the Bomb (That Blew Oklahoma City Down)?," which pins the blame on everyone from talk show hosts to action movie stars. As usual,
MacDonald deftly mixes musical styles from blues to Celtic folk and sings his ample melodies in a smooth, crooning tenor sometimes reminiscent of
Don McLean. On
And Then He Woke Up,
MacDonald has mellowed without losing his edge. ~ William Ruhlmann