After a solo acoustic debut album, Milwaukee’s Joe Richter puts a full band behind its follow-up, Revival. The fuller lineup complements his often autobiographical songcraft with an easy, swaying kind of rock. Richter cites Billy Joel as his chief musical inspiration, but Revival communicates an uncynical, earnest worldview that The Piano Man hasn’t often approached. Whether extoling the libido his wife’s floral dress incites or recollecting the sights of a bustling autumnal Wisconsin day, Richter aims for relatability. His success comes wrapped in the kinds of melodies Rob Thomas would have done well to concoct in his Matchbox Twenty heyday.
