Flat guitars and even flatter lyrics haunt the 10 lonely anthems on 10 Kinds of Lonely, the fourth album from Toronto’s Ron Hawkins. Hawkins seems to have perfected the art of generic folk/country songs, leaving little to the imagination. Predictable chord progressions and pentatonic guitar solos abound on this album, which Hawkins himself has described as his most “isolated recording experience yet.” Being recorded over five weeks in his basement may explain the shallow production values, but doesn’t make up for his ill-fitting voice and whiny lyrics. An acoustic album should provide some insightful lyrics to make up for the lack of instrumentation being used, but one can’t help but feel bored with his stories. Listeners should be commended for being able to sit through the entire album without falling asleep.

Published in Volume 64, Number 10 of The Uniter (November 5, 2009)