Rocky Votolato - Television of Saints

Each song on Television of Saints sounds fairly simple in construction – almost standard singer-songwriter fare with strummed and picked guitar lines with an occasional country twinge. Where they differ is their flowery language, each an intricate poem casting doubt,fear, and an unmistakable questioning of what’s real life and what’s one of Rocky Votolato’s nightmares. His sincerity and vulnerability flow seamlessly through gentle guitar ballads and chugging upbeat numbers. A literature lover, Votolato is a master of words, fancying phrases like “just let the pressure turn your charcoal heart into a diamond reflecting the light/don’t let it get crushed into dust.” It’s a beautiful, if somewhat predictable affair.