Restoration Ruin is a real oddity in the
Jarrett catalog: a vocal album on which he plays all the instruments. And not a jazz vocal album, either, but a folk-rock one in which he alternates -- quite literally, track to track -- between sub-
Dylan outings and more folk-Baroque ones that echo the late-'60s work of artists like
Love and Tim Buckley. There's a certain amateurish appeal to the LP, in keeping with other crossover acid folk artists of the period. Yet the fact is that
Jarrett is a major jazz musician, but a journeyman-at-best folk-rock singer (with a hoarse, wavering croon-whine), instrumentalist, and songwriter, with a bent for flaky wordplay that gives this a bit of a fried-psychedelic tinge. At times, to be harsh, it's less than journeyman, particularly on the
Dylan-esque cuts, which have almost embarrassing wheezing son-of-
Dylan harmonica and some downright embarrassing out-of-sync drums. Better are the daintier, more melodic tracks with trimmings of flute, strings, and flamenco-like guitar, like the title song, "For You and Me," and "Sioux City Sue New," with their bossa nova feel. ~ Richie Unterberger