Jim Guthrie
Now, More Than Ever
Release Date: Jun 1, 2004
Genre(s): Indie, Rock
Record label: Three Gut
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Album Review: Now, More Than Ever by Jim Guthrie
Fantastic, Based on 2 Critics
Based on rating 9/10
Though James (aka Jim) Guthrie had refined his songcraft quite a bit between his first and second solo records, it was nothing compared to the leap made on Now More Than Ever. Quite likely a lot of that is due to the fact that all of the songs here are recorded with multiple musicians instead of just Guthrie himself goofing around with a four-track recorder or his Playstation, but it certainly doesn't hurt that instead of being give the big old rock treatment, the songs here have been bolstered by a string section. True, when you add strings to pop music you run a real risk of winding up with an overblown and pretentious mess, but it's been handled very tastefully here, and the end result is an album that has all of the elements necessary to be a pop classic.
Opinion: Excellent
With his third solo album, Three Gut Records namesake and Royal City guitarist Jim Guthrie has crafted a pleasantly lush album that may be his finest work yet, if not the best record on Three Gut so far. Putting his Playstation back on the shelf (he used it to record most of the music for his previous two albums), Guthrie has opted this time for a full-band sound to compliment his catchy, upbeat pop-folk tunes. Banjos, flutes, clarinets, and ukuleles all grace the album’s sunny landscape.