Newsday

March 13, 2008 by Rafer Guzman

     Smart, funny, unpredictable and potentially polarizing, "Father Time," the latest disc on Elijah Records from East Meadow's Joe Piket and The Storm, ranks as a cut above the usual singer-songwriter genre. The 10 tracks range from catchy power-pop to rock bombast to possible political commentary - more on that later.

     Piket's ageless voice combines adult wisdom with adolescent energy, making him an appealing, authoritative frontman. He kicks off with "Payin' the Price for Spring," a chugging pop-rock track about childhood, parenthood and how such ideas change over time: "He's sure that I'm irrelevant, and listening is a chore / My father was intelligent/I've seen this show before." Wait - did this guy just fit the entire cycle of life into four minutes and 28 seconds? Not bad. What's next?

     Next comes a plethora of styles, from the folk-rock title track to a Queen-style workout called "Summercrimes," complete with an operatic chorus. Piket also includes an aggrandized cover of the Beatles' "She's Leaving Home," adding his own updated lyrics ("meeting the man from that chat-room she found"). It's either a feat of derring-do or a ghastly failure - 10 listens later, you may still find yourself unable to decide.

     But the album's most intriguing track is "Song for Peace (Peace Through Strength)." Piket's tone is arch as he sings of characters who preach pacifism - a bullied schoolboy, an overly trusting property owner - only to find themselves used and abused. At first it seems like dark satire, akin to Randy Newman's "Short People." Then comes the bridge: "Peace is more than just the absence of war/ Where there's freedom there's an army to thank."

     Hmm. Does this bouncy, shimmering pop tune really hide the talons of a hawk? Are Piket's kindhearted characters empathetic or just pathetic? Suddenly, those lovely la-la-la's from the girl backup singers sound more like nasty nyah-nyah-nyah's. No matter where Piket stands politically, the song is a thought-provoking doozy, much like the rest of his charmingly nettlesome disc.