T. Hallenbeck, Doubting Thomas

You ever have one of those moments where you look at the person next to you, speechless, and with a “…the hell?” look on your face? Well, that’s my exact reaction to hearing Doubting Thomas, by T. Hallenbeck. I’ll admit it — I am a “Rennie,” a Renaissance Festival devotee, complete with costumes and everything, so I am no stranger to folk music. In fact, I’m a huge fan of the now-defunct Clandestine from Houston, which, although Celtic, played a similarly medieval type of folk music as showcased on Doubting Thomas.

Unfortunately, that’s where the similarities end, for me. I just really couldn’t get into this CD. I haven’t been able to completely put my finger on why, but there’s something about the quality of the voice or the enunciation of the lyrics that really grates on my nerves. I actually enjoy the backing instrumentals and hearing something unusual like a dulcimer being played, so I find myself focusing more on those than any of the vocals. The only song on the CD where I actually enjoy the song as a whole is the second track, “Life Not Lived.” For some reason, on that track the vocals come across as being smoother and have much less of a quiver to them.

There are moments of this style sprinkled throughout the CD, but none strong enough to overwhelm the feeling of forced emotion and drama. I just don’t get it. When you add in lyrics like, “Sometimes it’s fun to drop on all fours and run or / Thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not maim,” from a song entitled “Dr. Moreau,” the end result for me is a CD that I can’t listen to no matter how much I would’ve liked to enjoy it.