Release Date: ( February 10th,2004)
Label: Tooth & Nail Records
Producer: (Aaron Sprinkle)

December  Hotel 
Overall Rating:  ++++-

(A Friend I Had)

For many years Aaron Sprinkle was known as being the guitar player for Christian alternative rock band Poor Old Lu. Since then he has moved on to produce albums for several bands and start a solo career of his own. Sadly, few people realize that Aaron Sprinkle has released three albums thus far in his career: Moontraveler, The Kindest Days, and Bareface. Now Sprinkle has signed to Tooth & Nail where he should find much better distribution. Lackluster is his first release on this label.

Those who are unfamiliar with Aaron Sprinkle are definitely in for a treat with Lackluster. The album compiles some of his best work from his first three releases, plus a brand new song. Many of the songs are re-mixed and one has new vocals. For the newcomer, the standout tracks will be abundant as virtually every song is a musical treat from this rootsy, intelligent songwriter. Most of the tracks use acoustic guitar, but also feature a full band.

For the longtime Aaron Sprinkle listener, it may be a bit more difficult to justify making the purchase of this album with only one song that he hasn't been released before. For me, the album served as a great reminder of why I liked Sprinkle's music in the first place. The official count is four songs from Moontraveler("Solace," "Not All Bad," "A Friend I Had," and "What Sorry Could Be"), three songs from The Kindest Days ("The Kindest Days," "Not About To," and "Genevieve"), six songs from Bareface ("Really Something," "Sweeter Than Me," "All You Can Give," "Colorblind," "Let Me In," and "The Boy Who Stopped the World"), and one new song ("Pillbox"). Of course, it can be argued that several great songs from the past were overlooked here, but this isn't necessarily a best of.

As I understand it, the chief purpose of Lackluster is to get Aaron Sprinkle into a broader market. The songs found on here should be just what the doctor ordered to hook new listeners to Sprinkle's original, honest work.

~ Trae Cadenhead

Amidst Poor Old Lu's brief 2002 reunion and his duties as a go-to producer and mixer for the Tooth & Nail collective, Aaron Sprinkle was also issuing solo albums. Unfortunately, they were usually on tiny labels with crap distribution. Sprinkle and Tooth & Nail have remedied that problem with Lackluster, wrapping 13 previously released tracks and one new song into a polite indie pop bundle that's both an introduction for the curious and a boon to longtime fans tired of tracking Sprinkle's elusive back catalog. Considering its hodgepodge status, Lackluster works pretty well as a cohesive album. Elliott Smith's touch for syrupy, sometimes dirgelike pop is a big touchstone here, but Sprinkle's literate little songs are much more hopeful, rarely losing their grip on bright sunshine. Even the lilting, harmonica-led "Colorblind" is relentlessly cheery. "You are leaving me and taking everything," he sings, but you get the impression the song's subjects will come to their senses and live happily ever after. Actually, with his classicist songwriting style (check the warm organ breaks and pretty chorus of "Really Something") and consistently tasteful production, Sprinkle's work seems most reminiscent of a guy like Michael Penn. Their personal feelings and relations are put faithfully into the music. But they each let the song — not the emotion — be the guide. This isn't self-loathing music — even if there's some soul-searching, in the end it's just made to feel good. Highlights include "Not About To," the introspective acoustic number "Boy Who Stopped the World," and the new track "Pillbox," with its dreamy organ and rousing chorus.

~ Johnny Loftus

You may know Aaron Sprinkle as the guitarist for the alternative-rock band Poor Old Lu. You may also know him for his production, engineering, and mixing efforts with artists likes Starflyer 59, Damien Jurado, and Pedro the Lion. It is also possible you have bought his first three releases. But, apparently, this isn’t the most likely scenario because the concept behind Lackluster is to take the best songs from his previous three hardly-known discs, combine them on to one disk, and release them on a decent label -Tooth and Nail - capable of the distribution it deserves.

So for all intents and purposes, for most people, this is Aaron Sprinkle’s first album. This is a glimpse work of the artist beyond the influence of the other members of Poor Old Lu. And besides the opening guitar riff of the first track, “Really Something,” it’s nice to hear he has moved past the Poor Old Lu sound.

Funny thing is: this music is dangerously close to a very banal sound. It is the typical guitar, bass, drums with most songs seeming to have been derived from a solo acoustic bedroom writing session. And this is fine, but where do you go from here? Are you going to be folky, overtly poppy, or pin your sound on your own personal inflective characteristics? Aaron Sprinkle has chosen the latter most option and it has served him well.

His voice is terrific enough to override the potential torpor of the songs. His voice is almost nasally but not in any pejorative connotation. It’s sweet, with a little of a sinus nuance. Aaron Sprinkle has such a saccharine voice that you want him to sing his choruses over and over and usually he does. He succeeds when he builds on his strengths. “Sweeter Than Me” is a perfect example. It’s a typical ballad song with some nice contribution of steel lap. There is a perfect, sentimental chorus that is run through and through. By the time the song ends you are full of it. It’s complete.

“Pillbox,” “Not About To,” “What Sorry Could Be,” are a few more notable songs. Overall, Lackluster is a decent release. It may not be enough to make you hire a research team to uncover Sprinkle’s previous discs, but it is enough to keep you content for the time being.
 

~ Ryan Phillips