“Why Do You Keep Trying (To Break My Heart in Two),” the opening track on singer/songwriter/guitarist Joseph Hathaway’s debut The Surgeon’s Song (Little Mann Agency / Joseph Hathaway, September 7, 2004) poses a familiar lyrical question, but rather than sing it as though he’s confronting his lover face-to-face, Joseph delivers the musical equivalent of a frantic look back over both shoulders, as if his past were swooping down like a vulture, pecking at him as he attempts to move forward with his life. With its fresh narrative perspective, “Why Do You Keep Trying (To Break My Heart in Two)” surprises as well as resonates—the kind of musical experience that stays with listeners long after they hear The Surgeon’s Song for the first time.
Joseph’s haunting acoustic soul music, punctuated by his other-worldly voice, has earned positive comparisons to the work of Jeff Buckley, Nick Drake, Thom Yorke of Radiohead, and Leonard Cohen. But The Surgeon’s Song is a highly-individualistic effort, the summation of a young’s man quest thus far, set down during a respite before taking up the journey again.
The album reflects Joseph’s experiences living in New York during a tumultuous age of terrorism (“Let It Turn Blue”), as he struggles to accept the past (“Lonely Architect”, “Next To You”) as well as plan for an unknown future (“Show Yourself”, “Let Me Love You”). The Surgeon’s Song also covers more transcendent terrain, including the search for answers to life’s questions about love, family, and the universe. This yearning and quest for knowledge impart to The Surgeon’s Song a metaphysical urgency, a stirring desire to question, to confront, and, at best, to resolve. Amidst fragility and vulnerability (“Hope”, “Chills & Spills”), Joseph remains optimistic. Not only is love possible, but it has always been there.
The Surgeon’s Song is available now at CD Baby and Tower Records. Joseph also is currently planning a winter tour; once confirmed, dates will be posted on josephhathaway.com
