Tokyo Rosenthal has been in the business of storytelling for three decades with his Folk/Americana/Country style of music. While I have never heard of Tokyo or Toke myself he’s had a few success that have pushed him into the mainstream eye. His latest album “Who Was That Man?” is yet another chapter in Rosenthal’s legacy as being a narrative songwriter whose songs fly the personable yet manage to offer up a universal appeal through their musical song construction.

My first go with “Who Was That Man?” instantly reminded me of The Damned’s Alone Again Or with its Mariachi style horns and Americana flare but as far as comparisons go that’s all I could come up with having never really been a fan of Americana type music. Underneath it there was a flare for, and this seems to be the norm these days, some type of western motif from the movies as well. The violin and slide guitar among the other instruments made for a solid effort but Toke Rosenthal seemed to be balancing a passion with somewhat of a front. There were a few times where I wondered if the vocals really needed that twang as it seemed to be a bit forced but all in all the storytelling is what kept me going. I’ve read other reviews from people who have really dug in and surprisingly Rosenthal’s narratives run even deeper then what you’d have expected including a song on the album titled Librarian about one Rosenthal’s old school teachers who later in life became a porn star. According to my one source this is based on a true story. A bit discomforting but it’s the kind of honest songwriting that made this an album that was both enjoyable and great to really listen to. As always final judgment is yours. Enjoy.