Glen Campbell, Ghost on the Canvas [Review]

Glen Campbell

Ghost on the Canvas

Surfdog Records

Ghost on the Canvas appears to be Glen Campbell's final recording — as you probably know, the singer and guitarist announced this summer that he has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease. As such, it's a mostly successful attempt to modernize Campbell's style up to the late power-pop era: Producer Julian Raymond uses a group of musicians that includes former Jellyfish members Jason Falkner and Roger Manning Jr., along with guest stars Dick Dale, Brian Setzer and Billy Corgan. Much like Raymond's previous Campbell collaboration, 2008's Meet Glen Campbell, the new record gives the Arkansas native his due as an interpreter, singer, songwriter and guitarist — Campbell essays Robert Pollard's "Hold on Hope" and Paul Westerberg's "Any Trouble" very effectively, and writes a few with the producer. Ghost on the Canvas marries Campbell's vocals and guitar to a production and songwriting style that reminds me a lot of the high-end power pop of XTC, Big Star and Jellyfish.

For all its musical energy and inventiveness — Raymond layers acoustic guitars, strings and keyboards with formalist ease — Ghost does perhaps depend a bit too much on aural deja vu and, well, formalism. Apart from Westerberg's and Pollard's contributions, some of the record seems merely a modernizing strategy. For example, Dandy Warhols back up Campbell on "Strong," a tune Campbell wrote with Raymond. The song strikes me as well-intentioned but generic — something that would be better placed in a soundtrack. The same goes for "There's No Me ... Without You," which closes the record.