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, All Music Guide
Lackluster is the last solo album by singer/songwriter/producer Aaron Sprinkle; it is also his first and only release on Tooth & Nail Records. Lackluster has one previously unreleased song ("Pillbox") and thirteen other songs of Aaron's three other solo albums, two of these ("Really Something" and "Not About To") are remastered versions of the original recordings. Aaron Sprinkle now plays guitar and sings in his new band, Fair, so he is no longer releasing solo records.
Track listing
"Really Something" - 3:54
"Not About To" - 2:48
"Sweeter Than Me" - 4:52
"All You Can Give" - 3:51
"Not All Bad" - 3:26
"Let Me In" - 4:40
"The Boy Who Stopped The World" - 3:00
"Solace" - 3:39
"Pillbox" - 3:38
"The Kindest Days" - 5:21
"Colorblind" - 3:15
"What Sorry Could Be" - 4:27
"Genevieve" - 3:33
"A Friend I Had" - 5:15
Album Credits
All songs written by Aaron Sprinkle except "A Friend I Had" written by Aaron and Karina Sprinkle.
All songs produced by Aaron Sprinkle except "Not All Bad" produced by Blake Wescott.
All songs mixed by J.R. McNeely except "Not All Bad" mixed by Blake Wescott and "Sweeter Than Me", "Let Me In", "The Boy Who Stopped The World" and "Colorblind" mixed by Aaron Sprinkle.
All vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards, programming and percussion by Aaron Sprinkle
Drums on "Really Something", "Sweeter Than Me", "All You Can Give", "Let Me In" and "Pillbox" by Joey Sanchez.
Drums on "Not About To", "Not All Bad", "The Kindest Days" and "Genevieve" by Paul Mumaw.
