Welcome to part 1 of the Staples Trilogy.

Did you know that there are three, completely unrelated artists with the last name Staples? There are, and I’m playing an album by each of them for Eleanor. This of course opens the door for Perry, King and Stevens trilogies down the road.

This week, I went back to work, ending the blissful period where all three of us wore our pajamas for way longer than it was appropriate and flashed in and out of consciousness at will. The new normal for Eleanor and I is quiet chunks of time before and after work. I suspect this is what the term ‘quality time’ is about. I get home, I take off my shoes, I grab a baby and I kick back. Bedtime is imminent, so I have I want to make the few hours we have together count. By now, Eleanor is really starting to react to music. If she’s fussy, it calms her right down, and if she’s awake and placid, music seems to change her expression and even engage her a little.

While I’d love to throw on To Pimp a Butterfly, or Live at the Apollo during those evening hours, I don’t think that’s the tone we’re trying to create. Luckily, Spotify came to the rescue. Since it’s a living, breathing thing that legitimately cares about my welfare and routine, Spotify suggested Chris Staples’ American Soft as a soundtrack. I put my fragile sense of trust in that lime-green logo, and off we went.

American Soft’s first track “Walking with a Stranger” perfectly sets its tone. Gently sung and strummed, with some added noise for texture, it somehow manages to avoid an overproduced sound. It’s twee, but never too twee; tranquil, but never boring.  Eleanor, who is now a healthy combo of tired/hungry by the time I get home, noticeably calmed down. The tempo of American Soft rarely deviates, although it finds an upbeat moment or two on pluckier tunes like “Black Tornado”, “Wurlitzer” and “Early Bird Tavern”. They added the right amount of bounce to my step while I was carrying Eleanor, who seemed to appreciate the mild change in motion by cuddling up even closer. You cannot argue with results.

Within his signature sound, Staples shows remarkable range and even more remarkable control. Focus stays on his guitar and vocals, using the cello, ukulele and percussion as accents. In mid-sleep, Eleanor threw her hands up abruptly and did the thing where she widened her eyes, even though her eyelids were closed. I’m no scientist, but I feel like that was Staples’ handle on his craft thoroughly resonating with her.

American Soft has the elements that make Belle & Sebastian or Simon & Garfunkel such obvious repeat listening material. It’s soothing with the right amount of tension thrown in. Staples has the melody and hook on lock, and from there it’s all nuance. This might not be something that a baby can articulate, but then she didn’t need to.

This album’s an obvious thumbs up for me, and a thumbs up (her nose) for Eleanor.

   

I’d happily put the whole record into my Spotify playlist, but then that’d kind of ruin the point. I think you’ll like the 5 tracks I chose.

Up next: Mavis. Be warned: things are about to get soulful AF.