Todd Rundgren’s “State” opens with the lines, “I am what I am, that’s all that I am.” While this may sound like lines stolen from a famous children’s book about an odd colored breakfast or a cartoon sailor that consumes spinach when he’s angry, they appropriately describe Rundgren’s recording career. He is what he is, take it or leave it.
His latest offering, “State,” is the first album of original material since 2008’s “Arena.” In the interim, Todd has found time to revisit his back catalog, performing classic albums in their entirety, and release two albums of covers a logical sequence of “Todd Rundgren’s Johnson” followed by “(re)Production.” One can only speculate on whether the previous resulted in the birth of “State,” nevertheless the album represents another high point in what has been a great career to follow.
Upon first listen “State” is reminiscent of a prolific period in Rundgren’s career, the post “Something/Anything?” era that produced ethereal sounding albums like “A Wizard a True Star” and “Todd.” The album opens with “Imagination,” an eerie sonic delight that sets the tone for the album.
The term “album” is rarely used anymore, but even though “State’s” songs aren’t weaved together like some of Rundgren’s other albums, this is an album in the truest sense of the word. Each song taken individually is not as powerful when placed in the context of the entire album. That isn’t to say that the individual tracks don’t hold up on their own for songs like “Ping Me” and “Angry Bird” are fun, and “Something from Nothing,” featuring Rachel Haden, is absolutely majestic. That being said, a casual fan of Rundgren’s pop gems like “Hello It’s Me” and “Can We Still be Friends” will be sorely disappointed in “State,” while fans who may have jumped ship during the TR-I rapping years will find Todd in familiar form, albeit an updated version of the “Wizard.”
For many years Todd was ahead of his time but “State” fits right into the current musical landscape. I tested my musical sense by throwing the album in a playlist with recent offerings from Imagine Dragons, Pink, The Killers. Ellie Goulding and Lady Gaga. While it sounds like those artists would be strange bedfellows with Todd, “State” held its own.
For the Todd faithful, “State” is a welcome addition to his body of work and they should embrace it. The album is Rundgren at his best and reaffirms his reputation as a wizard in the studio.
