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Train’s tunesmith branches out Latest album hopped the tracks from the direction its songwriter had anticipated

The Columbian
Published: December 11, 2009, 12:00am

Heading into the recording of the new Train CD, “Save Me, San Francisco,” the band’s chief songwriter Pat Monahan was on track to create a very different-sounding album for the group.

“At the beginning of the writing process, I was definitely headed in a much different way as a writer,” Monahan said. “I was really headed into this really heavy guitar kind of world.”

The turning point, Monahan said, came when he got together to write with Kevin Griffin, lead singer of Better Than Ezra.

“We wrote a song on this Train record called ‘I Got You,’” Monahan said. “And that was a moment where I was like, wait a minute, I’m going in the wrong direction entirely. And Kevin and I, we just hit on the direction that this album was supposed to be going in.”

In the end, “Save Me, San Francisco” (a lyrical tribute to the group’s hometown) came out sounding very much like Train’s four other studio CDs, albeit with some subtle but significant twists.

Like the group’s other albums, “Save Me, San Francisco” is built around melodic and sensitive guitar-pop songs, all centered around Monahan’s supple singing. It’s easy to hear easygoing new songs such as “I Got You” or “Brick by Brick” sitting alongside familiar Train tunes such as “Meet Virginia” and “Calling All Angels.”

But a few facets of “Save Me, San Francisco” separate it from previous Train albums.

For one thing, the CD is a bit more folk-rock flavored and less slick than earlier Train efforts. And songs such as “Parachute” and the title song give “Save Me, San Francisco” a bit harder-hitting sound than other albums by the group, which formed in 1994.

The bigger differences that emerge for Train in 2009, though, were the result of things that happened behind the scenes.

For one thing, after going through a period in which the band lost one of its founding members, guitarist Rob Hotchkiss, and cycled through several other band members, Train is now down to a core lineup of Monahan and two other original members, Scott Underwood and Jimmy Stafford.

The group took an extended hiatus that began in 2006. During that time, Monahan made a 2007 solo CD, “Last of Seven,” which had a bit more of a soulful edge, but wasn’t a major departure from Train’s sound.

The group also changed management and switched producers, hiring on Martin Terefe for “Save Me, San Francisco” after doing its previous three albums — “Drops of Jupiter” (2001), “My Private Nation” (2003) and “For Me, It’s You” (2006) — with Brendan O’Brien, the high-profile producer of Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam and many other top artists.

Beyond those notable events, Monahan also took a big step as a songwriter that had a very direct effect on “Save Me, San Francisco.”

After keeping the songwriting in-house on the previous Train albums (except for some collaborations between Monahan and O’Brien), Monahan stepped outside of the group to also write with a host of other musicians and tunesmiths.

The trend first emerged on his solo record, where Monahan wrote with his producer, Patrick Leonard (known for his work with Madonna); John Shanks; James Bourne; and former Train keyboardist Brandon Bush.

On “Save Me, San Francisco,” Monahan wrote not only with Griffin, but with several A-list songwriters known for their ability to craft hit songs, including the team of Sam Hollander and Dave Katz (S.A.M. & Sluggo), Gregg Wattenberg, and Ryan Tedder.

Despite having had a pair of notable hits with Train in “Meet Virginia” and “Calling All Angels,” Monahan is somewhat critical of his songwriting abilities. He said he sees room for improvement, particularly in writing melodies, and believes his collaborations will help him hone his talents.

“The trend is more trying to create, trying to be in a room with people who will make me better at what I do, because I can always use the help,” Monahan said. “I want to get better, and I got better, and I’m getting better. Better meaning expressing oneself in a more, I don’t know, in a more melodic, pop way. … Being in a room with these guys really taught me a lot.”

Train (whose live lineup also includes guitarist/keyboardist Jerry Becker and bassist Hector Maldonado) will gradually add songs from “Save Me, San Francisco” into its live set as touring continues. But Monahan said the band will be sure to also play older songs the fans want to hear.

“We’ll just try to be really smart about the whole thing, I guess, and from there maybe we’ll mix in a cover song here and there at the end of the night and do a little bit of acoustic every night, because I love that,” Monahan said. “I think it gives people a chance to hear us play something in a little different format.”

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