It’s unusual when a musician cites giants such as David Axelrod and Jean-Claude Vannier as main influences and that in itself deserves attention. And so it goes with 22 year-old Patrick Cleandenim, whose new album Baby Comes Home is like nothing else being made right now, yet informed by great music of the past. Combining a love of classic song craft with a mountain of charisma, Cleandenim is just starting a highly promising career.
While prime time Scott Walker may be an initial point of comparison,
Baby Comes Home displays a broad array of influences and styles. Patrick grew up obsessed with Elvis, and from there moved to the various genres of British and American pop music (doo-wop, surf, bubble-gum, Motown, girl groups). On the album, he’s accompanied by a lush orchestra, which expands his upbeat piano playing and singing with a sea of strings, horns, backup singers and percussion. As Patrick himself explains it, “I tried on Baby Comes Home to create a sense of space; a space where the imagination could experience movement and light. For me, the energy in Phil Spector’s work establishes this space on a level that is unparalleled by most other recording artists.” If you haven’t guessed, he is also an artist,
currently finishing up his schooling at New York’s prestigious Cooper Union.
Baby Comes Home was recorded in December of 2005 in Patrick’s hometown of Lawrence, Kansas. Booking an armful of sessions at Black Lodge Recording Studio and with a killer rhythm section in tow, Patrick expanded the band to orchestra size by enlisting the help and goodwill of music students from University of Kansas to serve as string and horn sections. The sessions took place in the graveyard slot of 12.00 – 4.00 am. On the last day of recording, Patrick turned 21.
While he is already busy working on a follow up (“On my next record I may sound more like the love-child of Damo Suzuki and Madonna, or Prince backed by Tom Waits and The Boswell Sisters.”) Patrick’s next step is to bring the album to life on stage, which will be accomplished this summer.