Early '90s Month: Scott Grimes

SCOTT GRIMES
"SCOTT GRIMES"
(A&M, 1989)


"Only Love"


Probably best known now for his role as Dr. Morris on "ER" (and before that, as Bailey's best friend Will on "Party Of Five"), actor Scott Grimes first scratched his itch to be a pop singer while still a teenager in 1989. Produced by Richard Carpenter, the album included covers of "You're The Voice" (made popular several years earlier by Heart) and the Carole King staple "You've Got a Friend", as well as a bunch of original tunes.

The album failed to grab the public's attention, and probably sounds somewhat dated now, but it has remained one of my sentimental favorites. None of the songs try to be especially thought-provoking or emotionally evocative; in other words, it's the perfect "entry-level" pop album for an actor trying his hand at a music career. He was actually 17 years old when he recorded this album, but could have easily and unintentionally led one to think he was younger: he looked more youthful than his age back then, and he sang (and still sings) in a higher register than is typical for a guy -- but it's the register in which he sounds the most comfortable, so he can't be blamed.

A few years ago, Grimes returned to the recording studio and released a lengthy album of all-new material, this time in the roots-rock genre, and this time earning him a Billboard-charting single. It's good to know that, should his acting career hit the skids for whatever reason, he's got more than enough talent to keep a music career going.

CD of the Week: Scott Grimes

SCOTT GRIMES
"LIVIN' ON THE RUN"
(Velocity, 2005)

In what may very well be one of the lengthiest hiatuses ever taken by a recording artist (part-time or not), actor Scott Grimes let no less than sixteen years pass between his 1989 debut and his 2005 sophomore album. Given such a huge span of time -- and the fact that he'd grown from a young teenager into an adult -- it's not surprising that there's almost no similarity at all between the two recordings. He's gone from light, synth-driven pop to full-bodied, semi-southern rock ... and even his voice changed shortly after his self-titled disc, although not by as much as one might expect: his singing voice has settled into a tenor, but it's obviously quite comfortable there, nicely relaxed and by no means grating or distracting.

Backed by a full band, Scott delivers a perfectly entertaining mix of upbeat rockers and tender ballads, the kind of universally-appealing fare that would sound right at home in some cozy, out-of-the-way bar on a Saturday night. Indeed, the jeans, T-shirt and cap that Scott wears on the front and back covers of the CD convey the mood of the album perfectly: casual, working-class rock-and-soul. Some of my favorite tracks include the laid-back "Sunset Blvd.", the toe-tapping rocker "Summerthing", the breezy "You Come Around", and the bittersweet "Carrie". There's even a cool instrumental number which closes the album quite nicely.

Another thing that's changed from his last album is that Scott Grimes wrote or co-wrote every song. He may not be an especially profound songwriter, but he'd run the risk of seeming pretentious if he tried to be more clever with the lyrics than he is here. Besides, wordsmithing isn't what this type of music is about ... it's just about having a good time, and "Livin' On The Run" gives us a whopping 70 minutes of it!