Joe Mannix raises his White Flag proudly

Joe Mannix with Kate Schrock and Dave Rave
Thursday · York Street Cafe

In his previous incarnation as the Roots Rock band Mannix, singer/songwriter Joe Mannix peeled off a pair of acclaimed albums, 1999's Pretty Strange and 2001's Come to California, both of which were loosely considered concept pieces. On those albums, Mannix was favorably held up as a song stylist to fellow Northeasterner Joe Pernice, noted mopemeister Elliott Smith and quirky cult legend Harry Nilsson, as well as iconic Rock deities Bob Dylan and Neil Young. He hasn't forsaken any of those elements on his debut solo album, White Flag. And, as on his first two albums, Mannix revisits the idea of a song cycle, this time concentrating primarily on the pain of being left behind in its myriad emotional and metaphorical contexts. With the largely acoustic but still well-populated White Flag (originally self-released but recently reissued by Bongo Beat), Mannix offers up glimpses of his previously noted influences but also draws upon his earlier Pop heroes, from Paul McCartney to early Billy Joel to Iain Matthews to a less smug and smart-assed Loudon Wainwright III. In the same way that The Band was able to successfully straddle the line between Rock and Country without being one or the other, there is a tremendous balance between Mannix's Pop persona and his Folk foundation and the fact that he rarely veers too far in either direction makes White Flag a consistently enjoyable and compelling listen. (Brian Baker)