For more than two decades, Pokey LaFarge has made a career out of looking backward without ever sounding stuck in the past. Rent Money, his 11th album, turns that familiar retro-Americana sensibility toward the very modern problem suggested by its title. Released September 11 through Boxer Boy Records and produced by Elliot Bergman, the album moves easily through blues, country, early rock ’n’ roll, soul, jazz and reggae, but the music is deliberately lean rather than lavish. That restraint gives LaFarge’s distinctive voice, guitar and sly songwriting plenty of room, while the upbeat arrangements create an entertaining contrast with songs concerned with money, work, economic pressure and the compromises of everyday life.
The album gets off to a strong start with “The Thing,” a relaxed, shuffling number that establishes the record’s easygoing groove almost immediately. Addie Hamilton, LaFarge’s wife, contributes background vocals throughout much of the album, and her voice provides a warm counterpoint to his weathered delivery. “My Baby Loves Me” settles into a slow blues, while “Hambone” picks up the pace with an infectious burst of rock ’n’ roll energy. The songs rarely sound overworked; instead, LaFarge and his band rely on rhythm, texture and small instrumental details to keep the arrangements moving. It is music that feels made by people playing together rather than assembled piece by piece.
The title track, “Work” and “Can’t Take It With You” bring the album’s economic concerns into sharper focus, but LaFarge wisely avoids turning Rent Money into a dour exercise in social commentary. “Work” pairs its working-life frustrations with a gentle reggae feel, while “Can’t Take It With You” approaches mortality and materialism with an appropriately loose groove. “Stick Together” takes a more communal approach, and although its message is straightforward, the buoyant arrangement makes the sentiment feel natural within the album. LaFarge’s real trick is allowing difficult subjects to coexist with music that remains warm, funny and genuinely enjoyable.
The record is at its most playful when LaFarge simply lets the music take over. “Told You No” brings smoky soul and trumpet into the mix, “Big Boss Man” rides an irresistibly rhythmic arrangement, and the closing “On and On” adds horns and organ to the album’s final turn. Across all eleven songs, Bergman’s production keeps the instrumentation colorful without sacrificing the stripped-down character that distinguishes the record. Rent Money ultimately works because its contradictions feel intentional: it is nostalgic without being antiquated, politically and economically aware without becoming heavy-handed, and polished without losing the rough edges that make LaFarge’s music feel distinctly human. In an era increasingly crowded with music designed to sound interchangeable, LaFarge continues to make records that sound unmistakably like himself. – Jason Felton