Tony Molina is an interesting artist. Instead of producing lengthy works, he focuses on concise tunes that win you over one by one. His latest release, Confront The Truth is an acoustic variation of his quick jams –a slew of several moving tracks that bridge together to create a short little masterpiece.
Confront The Truth runs much the same way Tony Molina’s other recordings do –short and to the point. Molina’s discography in whole is brief. In a dramatic contrast to Molina’s past, Confront The Truth is emotionally deep and lacks that fuzz-pop atmosphere. This album is a turnaround but a calculated one. For Molina, there’s really no beating around the bush, it’s a straight shot to emotion. Confront The Truth is laden with snippets of emotional moments in time. It is reminiscent of Harmony Korine’s approach to film –get rid of all the parts that nobody pays attention to and include lots of extremely memorable scenes. That said, Confront The Truth isn’t necessarily easily explored as eight songs but rather ten minutes of thoughtful sensitivity. Tony Molina’s brief exposition of the heart is superb.
The album begins with “Lisa’s Song,” a string-heavy serenade. Organ keys pour in and the segue leads along into, “I Don’t Want To Know.” The song is based in lament –celebrating the sorrow of a break-up. It’s a bit of a Beatles-esque jam that ends with the pipes –onto the next tune. Capturing the album in full might be a bit of a similar but up to this point a few things must be said.
First and foremost, Tony Molina is consistent in picking a heartfelt topic, exploring the most relatable aspects, and then mastering their replication in form of comforting melody. It’s like listening to the bad times through every lens imaginable. You turn on the radio and listen to the first fifty seconds of every song that happens to be about your ex –welcome to Tony Molina’s Confront The Truth.
The longest tune, “No One Told He,” comes in half way and brings out a guitar driven rock ballad of sorts. It starts acoustic –the trademark of Molina’s latest. It’s a bit country but groovy. Tony Molina keeps his soft vocals. The organ keys come in again and then the song picks up. The ballad really kicks in and the song plays itself out.
Much of the album incorporates the elements seen in the fourth track. It’s all about the acoustics, the weeping sweeping, and the organ keys. It’s creatively combined into sudden moments of déjà vu. Every track feels familiar, both for stylistic reasons, and emotional reasons. Molina constantly centers in on that post-break up lamentation. It’s a particularly accurate portrayal and coming from a poppy artist, surprisingly well executed.
Finally, Tony Molina’s “Banshee” closes out the album. It’s still a bit sad but now filled with an electric fuzz –more characteristic of Molina’s typical style. It’s still sentimental but it’s driven. After that heartbreak, it’s good to hear our musician spring back up and at them (figuratively, I hope). It’s a nice way to spice things up and close the album out. All in all, Confront The Truth is an interestingly beautiful album, because of how perfectly Tony Molina captures anger, sorrow, and love –but also because he does so in such a short period of time.
Ultimately, Tony Molina isn’t making acoustic songs for the layman to listen to; these songs just wouldn’t work on a random assortment. With the greater majority under two minutes, and some under one, it’s clear that Tony Molina’s style isn’t conducive to producing singles. You can’t expect to latch to one thing. Instead it’s about the entire experience, and it’s a sentimental one at that. While Tony Molina is a fantastic musician, he is a particular kind of fantastic musician and his style will not be applicable to all. Aside from that, it’s not as if Tony Molina is rewriting all of western composition within ten minutes. Confront The Truth is an excellent snapshot of emotion but it’s nothing particularly remarkable.
So after hitting the play button numerous times –to take myself through the journey again and again –it was decided: if you have a habit of being into that dainty Slumberland sort of thing, then Tony Molina’s latest release is not to be missed. Confront The Truth evokes emotion in quite a powerful way. The tunes are a great listen, and strung together, it makes for a perfect romantic rollercoaster. Outside of that niche –there’s not many compelling reasons to seek the album out. For better or worse, Tony Molina sticks to his style. Personal taste insists it’s not too bad –surprisingly effective. If you need a short listen to broaden those horizons, consider Confront The Truth as a new go-to.
Rating: 8.0/10
