New Ground

Robert Bradley’s Blackwater Surprise have always seemed significantly less than the sum of their interesting parts. Bradley was a blind street busker, singing for spare change and sounding like Richie Havens long-lost brother, when he hooked up with his band, a meat-and-potatoes rock outfit. But they’ve never really meshed. For New Ground, he’s got an almost entirely new band behind him, but the results are mostly the same. Give Bradley credit for trying though—an insistent, danceable, electronic groove underscores “Ride My Wave,” a soaring gospel chorus punctuates “Fast Lane”—but his sonic experiments feel mostly random, like he’s groping for a direction in which to push the music. And all the hoo-hah and fancy production seems a waste when you consider it’s the simplest tunes that work best. “Young Girls,” a spare, bluesy guitar-and-organ lament, puts Bradley’s soulful yowl out front and is easily the most powerful thing here. Maybe he oughtta consider ditching the Blackwater Surprise and returning to the streets. Alone.