Reviews (75)

THE ABSOLUTE BEST!
Without a doubt one of the most powerful albums i've ever heard.(And let me tell you that I've heard alot. We own over 1,200 CDs.) Sheer poety. His music touches me in a way words can't discribe. My advice, see him live. I mean if you get the chance to see him perform, don't miss it. As soon as you see him live, you'll own all his albums the next day. I promice you will always treasure them like no other album.(I had to replace mine because we burnt it out!) Just buy it. Just as soon as the rest of the world realizes what an amazing artist Ben Harper is, he's going to be huge. I don't care what the "critics" say,(You know who you are.)I, and all other devoted fans(You know who you are)love him and always will.

Eternal Positive Vibration

One of the finest albums I own!
Fight For Your Mind is easily one of the best albums I own in a collection of over 400 CDs. I saw Ben Harper live a couple years ago at HORDE Festival and was pretty impressed but I didn't pick up one of his CDs till recently. I wish I had earlier! From start to finish this is an amazing album. It changes tones many times leaving you to wonder what is coming next. Some of my favorite songs include "Ground On Down," "Another Lonely Day," "Excuse Me Mr.," "Give a Man a Home," and "Power of the Gospel." GET THIS ALBUM! You won't regret it!

One of the best of the 1990's
Along with U2's "Achtung Baby" and Chris Whitley's "Living with the Law", this CD rates as one of the best of the past decade. Harper seamlessly mixes a number of influences (Rock, R&B, Country, Gospel, Reggae, even Classical), adds his own lyrical and instrumental flair, backs it up with an unbelievably tight ensemble of musicians and delivers a album without a weakness. Each song is as unique and memorable as the next, but all defy simple classification. This is by far his best work. Do yourself a favor and give it a listen.

best BH album
This is a classic album and Harper's best. The bonus is its message, which carries a positive awareness of environmental, social justice, and other moral and political issues infused with a touch of the individual, the personal, and the spiritual. With the exception of his latest release, Diamonds on the Inside, Harper can do no wrong. This is a man who bleeds his heart & soul into his art like no other. Excellent live shows as well. My favorites: "Ground On Down," "Another Lonely Day," "Excuse Me Mr.," and "Give a Man a Home."

Best Ben Harper CD by far, and that's saying a lot
I am a big fan of Ben Harper and this is by far my favourite of his albums. Here is a track rundown:

Oppression - 9/10 - Great guitar rythm, excellent lyrics, more of a chill, slow kind of song - which is actually what most of Ben's song's are.

Ground On Down - 9/10 - This is a rare BH song that features electric guitar. Not quite a rocker, but a bit more upbeat. Very catchy.

Another Lonely Day - 10/10 - This is a very slow acoustic song featuring only Ben's voice and a guitar. I love this song - it's pretty slow and chill, and yet very catchy.

Please Me Like You Want To - 10/10 - Great lyrics, relatively a bit more upbeat but still fairly slow. The mini-solo is very well done.

Gold To Me - 6/10 - The one song on this album that really doesn't appeal to me. Good lyrics and all, but kind of an annoying tune. It's a bit on the "country" side and has a faster rythm.

Burn One Down - 11/10 - I LOVE this song. It's probably my favourite Ben Harper song. It opens up with a very cool bongo beat (I think it's a bongo, at least) and continues into a mellow, peaceful song about... herbs. Great lyrics, and an insanely catchy song. Overall it's definitely my favourite song on this CD if not my favourite Ben song in general.

Excuse Me Mr. - 8/10 - This is a more politics kind of song, it sounds kind of like Please Me Like You Want To. Good song, but a bit repetitive.

People Lead - 9/10 - A bit of a change of pace. Faster and more upbeat, it has a different sound to it than most of the songs on FFYM. I like it, but not too much.

Give A Man A Home - 10/10 - Slow, sleepy song. Ben's voice sounds more relaxed on this song. The guitar on this track seems a little off at bit, but I grew to like it.

By My Side - 8/10 - This song is another kind of change of pace song. It features organs or something like it, and is a nice little change from all the slow, chill songs on this album.
Power Of The Gospel - 10/10 - This song is DEFINITELY a "change of pace". It has violas or something (I'm no expert on stringed instruments) and the sound is way different than anything on this album. Sounds kind of like classical music.

God Fearing Man - 10/10 - This is a truly amazing song. Features a slide guitar played brilliantly, it is about 9 or 10 minutes long. This along with Power of The Gospel sounds nothing like anything else on this album. It has a dark, beautiful kind of sound to it. Probably my second favourite song on FFYM to Burn One Down.

One Road To Freedom - 8/10 - This song really isn't a standout in any way. It's a chill song with a good tune that makes for good listening, but it kind of lacks that Ben Harper sound that makes him so good in my opinion.

I don't think these individual marks really do justice to this album. You really just have to hear it. ... Read more

Reviews (35)

Just incredible
I can't get over this album! I'm kicking myself that I missed their recent show in DC, because eastmountainsouth is one of my favorite new bands. This album is simultaneously gorgeous and uplifting as well as a little sad-- good music for an introspective mood. I just love both Kat and Peter's voices, as well as the incredible musicianship of the instruments they play. You can hear different influences in their music, which makes them appeal to a wide variety of listeners-- you can hear bluegrass, folk, and even Celtic music.

This one will be in my CD player for a good long time!!

"Eastmountainsouth" doesn't go far enough
Folk-rock group Eastmountainsouth stay in safe territory for their self-titled debut. "Eastmountainsouth" is pretty enough with some pleasant ballads and solid folk music, but somehow it never really takes off. It's enjoyable, but it doesn't come fully to life.

The weakest track is perhaps the alt-country opener, a sort of bluegrass cover of "Hard Times." A different sound comes in with twangy folk-pop ("Winter," the unpleasant "You Dance," the vibrant "Rain Comes Down" ) and soft-edged, wistful ballads (the ethereal "Ghost," "So Are You To Me," the charming "Still Running") before rounding off on the pleasant "On Your Way."

Eastmountainsouth are at their best when they do ballads and rely on Kat Maslich's pretty voice. Their bouncier numbers tend to be pop-inflected folk, and many of them sound too similar. The ballads, on the other hand, are more solid and slow, letting the good instrumentation flow through.

Traditional instruments and songs are the backbone of their sound -- lots of banjo, guitar, piano, and a spattering of other stuff. And the songwriting is spotty; when it's good, it's very good (all of the vaguely psalm-like "As You Are To Me"), and when it's not so good, it's cliched ("Show me the river that leads to my home/back to the one that I love").

Both Kat Maslich and Peter Adams do lead vocals, depending on what song is being sung. But Adams really doesn't have that great a voice. As a result, Maslich's warm voice is the high point of "Eastmountainsouth," able to soar and waver like a diva's. In "So You Are To Me," she almost sounds like jazz wunderkind Norah Jones in her bluesier offerings.

"Eastmountainsouth" shows plenty of talent and musical promise that hasn't flowered as of yet. As it is, their self-titled debut is pleasant but not exceptional.

Breathtaking!
What an amazing album! I rarely buy CD's because I never like more than one or two cuts from an artist but EMS blew me away. Their melodies are haunting and graceful and their simple, yet brilliant instrumentation forced me to play this CD over and over again. Kat and Peter's voices blend like one. I want Mark's song played at my funeral. Wow!

wow
I bought this album over a month ago & I still can't get enough of it!!

What a gorgeous record
Part country - part blues - part new age - east mountainsouth's album is just one of the most georgeously beautiful records. Be warned however. Every now and then it surprises with a sharp edge in both lyrics and music. That just adds to its allure.

I've played it over and over. It rates with my favourite albums of the past several years, and is right up with some of the most listenable music in the past few decades. As a guide, my most played albums (recently) are "Poetic Champions Compose" (Van Morrison), 'The Healer" (John Lee Hooker), "Rubber Soul" (The Beatles), " "Born to Run" (Bruce Sprinsteen), "Circus Animals" (Cold Chisel), "Espresso Guitar" (Martin Winch), "The Girl in the Other Room" (Diana Krall) and "Rainy Day Music" (The Jayhawks). If you like these, listen to eastmountainsouth. I think you'll like them. ... Read more

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Vic Chesnutt has released a dozen albums in 15 years, and there's not many artists operating at that speed. However, Chesnutt warrants it; the pace simply matches his artistic growth. Ghetto Bells has a powerful resonance that reveals itself slowly. A couple of seven-minute pieces are the heart of the album, both moving forward slowly, but ever so purposefully. One of them,"Rambunctious Cloud," is further sweetened by the presence ofVan Dyke Parks on accordion (who appears throughout, on various keyboards) and a staggering guitar solo from Bill Frisell. It's a mark of Chesnutt's singular songwriting prowess that such a stellar band of disparate players came together, full of sympathetic invention, confidence and grace. -- David Greenberger ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Chesnutt's Sublime Bells
When people like Michael Stipe -"Top 10 finest songwriters today: Vic Chesnutt"- or Tom Waits -"He's fragile like Neil Young, Daniel Johnston and Aaron Neville, songs like strange things you find on the ground"- have this much praise to offer for a fellow musician, I think it is alright for those among us, who long to be moved by great songs, to stop and listen.
Chesnutt new album, Ghetto Bells, is a fine place to start, perhaps a perfect one. At least to me, it conjures up the bare poetic soul of his early classics -"West Of Rome," "Little," the Stipe-produced, or "Is The Actor Happy"- at the same time that it reminds me of the sophisticated musical vision of his amazing 2003's "Silver Lake."
For those who have already fallen under Chesnutt's spell, saying this much will be sufficient or, perhaps, unnecessary. The man has proven to be such uncompromising talent enough times to justify the purchase of his works "sight-unseen." For those who may not know them well, the rest of these words -I hope- may be useful to convince them of purchasing this album.
First and foremost, his lyrics -at once ironic, deeply emotive and deceptively simple-- deserve a place along the great songwriters of popular music. I'm thinking of people like Jimmy Webb, Springsteen or Leonard Cohen, none of whom are references in style, but a sign of Chesnutt's poetic stature.
Listen to songs like "Virginia" -a moving confession of troubled love for his mother- or "Ignorant People" -in which he expresses such sincere gratitude for the life he gets to live- as fine examples of his depth of feeling. Both particularly poignant when you realize that he has been paralyzed as the result of a car accident in 1983, when he was only 18. Both infused with courageous acceptance, and not a single gram of sentimentality.
Musically speaking, although his songs remain faithful to authentic simplicity, these melodies are utterly moving. In addition to the songs mentioned before, I'm thinking of "Forthright," "Rambunctious Cloud" and the incomparable "Vesuvius."
Of course, it does not hurt to have the assistance of Van Dyke Park on piano, accordion and organ -plus the exquisite strings arrangement in "Virginia" - nor the unpredictable beauty of Bill Frisell's guitar, or the masterful drumming of Don Heffington.
Finally, and perhaps the most impressive surprise of Ghetto Bells, is Vic's voice, which it managed to achieve a vulnerability nothing less than courageous, beautiful in its disregard to be perfect and most interested in connecting deeply with the listener.
As Van Dyke Parks said, "Add Vic Chesnutt to your short-list of great Southern Writers. A true Romantic poet! In his works is an unsparing candor, leaving the casual listener amazed, deluged and wrung out again-refreshed with truly informed optimism and shoots of ironic humor, sprouting up in most unexpected places."
This is an extraordinary album, a work that offers hard-earned joy, humble wisdom and and immense relief amidst the caution and self-consciousness so prevalent in recent recordings from respected and more famous artists today.

Masterful fusion of great musicians
This album sounds like a Vic Chesnutt album, with the inimitable vocals and dark-green sounding guitar but it also sounds like a Bill Frisell album as the man's sunsetty guitars perfectly weave through the songs adding dimensions. While Silver Lake had a very good backing band- here the band is not so much backing but adding their own very distinct and musical talents to the mix. Van Dyke Parks accordion (concertina?), string arrangements sound like open spaces or parisian streets. Vic's niece Liz Durrett's layered vocals on "What Do You Mean?" sound like ghosts in a southern forest. The album is well-produced but not over-produced.
Above all- if you like Vic's sparse earlier recordings you should love this as all the musicians add to the songs AND if you like Silver Lake you should love this as the recording is rich sounding. Besides, what other album would have a line about Neopolitan ice cream in a song called "Vesuvius"?

A New Classic....Ghetto Bells
Vic Chesnutt has created a work of art. Like a fine novel, or a film destined to be a classic. With every listen, the characters come to life and the soundtrack is the soundtrack to your life...real or imagined.
"Little Caesar" refers to the obvious leader of the (free?) world..and "Forthright" leads you to a kinder, gentler place...where sincerety is the rule, not the exception.
Excellent imagery abounds with every note, and word of every song, written by a down to earth dreamer. Vic Chesnutt will gain many new fans, with this new release. Deservedly so...
A FIVE STAR recording if ever there was... ... Read more

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Sounding like a collision between the 1965 Beach Boys' tour bus and a truckload of malfunctioning vacuum cleaners, the Jesus and Mary Chain found something new to do with the old rock & roll verities. Psychocandy, the group's debut album after a handful of sublimely catchy 45s, found the Glasgow lads drenching everything from the Ronettes to the Harley Davidson mythos and heroin chic in walls of feedback, matching even the Ramones in revisionist ingenuity. It will always sound great--and like something no other band has quite caught up to. --Rickey Wright ... Read more

Reviews (51)

Catchy Pop Songs With The Guitars on 11 and Feedback Galore
If the Beach Boys, The Velvet Underground, and a box of noisy guitars were put in a blender and set to puree, it might resemble the formula the Jesus & Mary Chain used on Psychocandy. That might sound like the musical equivalent of ice cream with ketchup, but it blends and works to amazing effect. The murky production on the album might take a while to get past, but underneath it is a set of fantastic songs. "The Living End," "My Little Underground," and "In A Hole" cover the band's upbeat, no-holds-barred sonic assaults while the wonderful "Just Like Honey" and "Some Candy Talking" are the band's ventures into more relaxed, softer, but no less brilliant, territory. My review title is what I made of the album's sound, and if that description intrigues you, then you must go out and listen to this. Psychocandy is sadly not available in the States for some unfortunate reason, but the import is worth the time to find and the extra money. As Jack Black in High Fidelity said about Psychocandy, "I can't believe you don't already own this!"

Musicless, Strident , Screeching, Shrill, Noise Anyone!
I love Jesus and Mary Chain, they're in my top (5) favorite bands. Just to get that out of the way, I own every CD this group ever released they're awesome, jamming, brilliant, ect., ect. "Psycho Candy" is the only CD I find virtually unlistenable. The production work is absolutely horrendous (strident anyone?). Do you enjoy the sound of 1000 screeching chalks on a chalkboard?, even at low volumes this will grate your nerves! and make your hair stand on end eeewwwww!...[WARNING!] this album will cause permanant ear damage at high volumes! There's so much shrill noisy feedback blaring out of control, you can hardly make out a melody or understand a word they sing...Yuk!, I'm not kidding. Thank God! they got better with each subsequent CD. I wonder? if they sat back one day and said "hey dude's let's make an album that's totally unlistenable, and someday someone will think it's an artistic work of genius", Hmmm... sounds almost like some of the reviews I've read, heh heh. Every song is forgettable, you won't be humming anything off this CD. I recommend Psycho Candy to people with an IQ of 70 on a warm day, the easily entertained, the deaf, or something to scare off mormons on a mission, who approach your house to spread the word of their cult...it really works!. Try "Darklands" or "Automatic" first then move on from there, act like the aforementioned doesn't exist.

....
I'll give credit to the Jesus and Mary Chain for coming up with something relatively novel in 1985. They combined early-60s melodies and song structures with crushing feedback, a la everybody's favorite name-check band, the Velvet Underground. OK, that's neat. Except that they repeated this concept song after song, again and again. In other words, this is a very repetitive album. Other than the memorable opening tune, Just Like Honey, the songs sound virtually the same. They did inspire My Bloody Valentine, one of my favorite bands, but MBV were much more creative in their shoegazing feedback, using different textures, whereas this album is just a sheet of noise.

DULCEmente MALIGNO ~~ SWEETMalignity
THIS cd is as If you Could HeaR the sound that makes your HeaRt when ure just been let down by someone u love..

when all the Hopes and ExpecTations u had on that Special realtionship are gOnE...

when all the beautifull moMents you kNOw u could have with someone... ...DON't Happened.....

This is the sound of a WOUNDED Heart.......

If You Jump, They May Not Catch You
Many people believe that if a person who gets paid to review music, also know as a professional rock critic, say something is good, then it's a fact. While music can be analyzed on technical skill and complexity, the only true measure of music is the emotional impact it has on a person. That's why a reviews by professional rock music critics are only the opinions of one person.
Sometimes the critics will praise music just because it has never been done before. Originality is a great thing, but it doesn't always work out. That's seemed to be the case with the Jesus and Mary Chain.

"Psycho Candy" is rated as a five star album by many critics and it made the "Rolling Stones 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" list at number 268. The critics compare it to the Velvet Underground, who came from the '60's like the critics themselves did. The Jesus and Mary Chain came from Britain, which is also a big plus in the rock critic book.
Beyond originality, there's nothing special about this album. The feedback and echoes are not very pleasing to the ears. The voice is very mellow, but the noise keeps the music from being relaxing. Songs like "Never Understand"is an audio assault, but not in a good way.

"Psycho Candy" may be an acquired taste, but it takes a whole lot of patience to develop that taste. There's nothing more frustrating than taking listening to an album over and over and still not finding it pleasing. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential recording

This acoustic supergroup joined forces in the summer of 1988,and the result was a true landmark in "new acoustic" music. As ifbluegrass (and even "newgrass") was too constricting, the quintet--SamBush (mandolin), Jerry Douglas (dobro), Bela Fleck (banjo), MarkO'Connor (violin), and Edgar Meyer (bass)--incorporates classical-stylethemes and arrangements within the context of bluegrassinstrumentation. Their unbelievable technique and musical ability wasnever in question; however, what makes the album special is the uncannyblend of precision and freedom, of improvisation and structure. Each ofthe 10 compositions were written by a different twosome (do the mathpermutations). Playful bluesy lopes ("Pink Flamingo") accompany tingesof reggae ("The Locks of Dread"), Celtic ("Macedonia"), and MiddleEastern ("Blue Men of the Sahara") music. There are urgent burners,somber mood pieces, and tender ballads, all delivered with grace. --Marc Greilsamer ... Read more

Reviews (40)

Definitave NEWgrass bluegrass!
As much praise as has been heaped upon this album, one can hardly add anything new, but I simply must put in my two cents.

This album is *very* important in the history of bluegrass for several reasons.

First, because of the assembly of an absolute superstar lineup: Bela Fleck (banjo), Mark O'Connor (fiddle); Sam Bush (mandolin), Edgar Meyer (bass), & Jerry Douglas (dobro). All of these people are considered to be at the top of their field, and some of them are numbered amongst the legends of all time.

Secondly, because of the originality of the material. Most of the members of this group have plenty of experience in other areas (i.e. Fleck with jazz & world music, Meyer is a classical composer, etc.) Many of these songs have classical structures and incorporate elements of jazz as well. The amazing thing is that despite all of these outside elements, its still bluegrass music. Of course, its not old style like Bill Monroe, but all musical forms change and evolve, and this is certainly well within and respectful of the bluegrass tradition.

To go on and on about the players prowess would be silly, because everyone knows these guys are la creme de la creme. You know its innovative bluegrass though when there are songs titles like "Macedonia" (with a nice dobro & mandolin solos and trade-offs), "Blue Men of the Sahara" (which sounds like a runaway train during the jam) and "Lochs of Dread" (with its reggae beat.) This isn't your grandaddy's bluegrass, but he'd probably enjoy it too.

Timeless
This summit of acoustic genius remains the standard of excellence for blue/newgrass music some 13 years after its original recording. What makes "Strength in Numbers" such a compelling effort is the willingness of the musicians - all masters of their respective domains - to tone down the individual string pyrotechnics and work together as an ensemble.

The result is vibrant, diverse, and exciting music - from the mysterious opening strains of "Future Man" to the apocalyptic denoument of "Blue Men of the Sahara", the listener remains fully engaged throughout. If I had to pick three as an example of the breadth of talent at work here, I'd probably point to the "middle" of the CD - 1) "One Winter's Night," a lovely chamber piece involving beautiful interplay between Egdar Meyer's bowed bass and Mark O'Connor' violin; 2)"Macedonia", a bluegrass cum Greek dance song featuring the twin mandolins of O'Connor and Sam Bush (plus terrific, understated banjo backup from Bela Fleck), and 3) "Lochs of Dread", a Scottish/reggae (that's not a misprint) bounce-along composed by Fleck and dobro wizzard Jerry Douglas.

The appeal of "Strength in Numbers" goes beyond the "bluegrass jam" label. Some are clamoring for more from these five; I fear that any sequel would be a let down - then again, I wouldn't bet against them!

What the funk?
In my opinion, this album is something really special, and what a great range of styles get covered! I would have liked to hear more energetic solos, but I think that these great musicians make up for that in the creativity of this music. There were jazzy tracks, traditional or classical tracks, and some really funky tracks with a real groove!

Still A "Must Have" Album
These 5 newgrass musicians simply are the best of the best *at* their best. Stop wasting time and buy this album! 'Nuff said.

they'll never be another one
If you like any of these 5 musicians alone doing solo material, then you'll love this remarkable recording. These 5 chaps were pretty much a house band in some form or another at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival in Colorado in the late 80's. Usually a few of them play with various groups every year at the festival. This album is a great showcase for each musician's command of their respective instrument. I wholeheartedly disagree with the guy from Milwaukee who said it was lethargic and that the band needed to play together more. If he knew anything about music he would recognize the amazing interaction on this Cd.

The tracks range from fairly straight forward bluegrass-newgrass to strange folk music. O'Connors's guitar playing on "Slopes" is incredible. Meyer's bass solo on "Duke & Cookie" proves he's definitely at the top on the instrument. Douglas displays his talent on "No Apologies" which shows why he is the most recorded musician in history (more than 500 albums with various artists). Fleck and Bush are excellent on every track. The strength of this Cd is the interplay of the different songwriters and musicians. It is not simply one person's band. Sure, if you want traditional bluegrass there are better albums, but this album shines after 15 years. Take this album for what it is - 5 phenomenal musicians & friends getting together and jamming. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential recording

Granted, Sweet Old World isn't the masterpiece that1988's LucindaWilliams is. The too-simple explanations of "He Never GotEnough Love" aren't up to Williams's mile-high standards, and thearrangements throughout are often so similar to that previous release'sthat the melodic differences here aren't as clear as they might'vebeen. But when she raises her vulnerable cry to sing the three, painedperspectives on suicide that are at the heart of this album--the titletrack, "Little Angel, Little Brother," and "Pineola"--Williams's veryhumanity provides its own proof that, while this world can indeed becruel, it can also be oh so sweet. --David Cantwell ... Read more

Reviews (27)

Such Sweet Sorrow
This beautiful album opens with the uptempo Six Blocks Away but soon turns sombre with songs like He Never Got Enough Love, the tender and poetic Sweet Old World (covered by Emmylou Harris on her Wrecking Ball album) and the painful Pineola, a harrowing story about a suicide and funeral. Little Angel, Little Brother is less sad, but gentle, perceptive and poetic too. The mood never seems to brighten after that, although Lines Around Your Eyes is a powerful love ballad and Prove My Love is a melodic, emotionally gripping country song. Sidewalks Of The City is a sad but hopeful Springsteenesque ballad, while Memphis Pearl reminds me of Emmylou's Red Dirt Girl or Joan Baez's version of Love Is Just A Four Letter Word in its theme and mood. Lucinda's sound is a perfect blend of rootsy country, folk and rock that fits her lyrics like a glove. This beautiful, sad and moving album ends, quite appropriately, with her cover of Nick Drake's elegiac Which Will.

Hugely disappointing
I bought this album several years ago on the strength of a print review and Lucinda Williams' reputation. After listening to it several times, and then letting it gather dust over the years, I finally just got rid of it. While some of the melodies on this CD are lovely, Lucinda Williams should stick to writing music for others (which she does with great success) -- her voice is nasal and reedy, and while she may be trying for an "honest, folky sound," she simply comes off as someone who needs voice lessons (esp. if she wants to avoid nodes on her vocal cords later in her career...) Furthermore, I'm truly surprised that others find her work insightful or moving in any way. "Sweet Old World" is written for a friend who committed suicide -- and I have never encountered such a complete misunderstanding of how depressed people & potential suicides see life. The song is just a lazy (yet jarring) litany of things that suicidal people realize they should appreciate, but can't. To anyone who has been in that position, this song is like a dripping water torture. The only song I found worthwhile was "Lines around your eyes," which wasn't strong enough to make me want to keep the album. If you are interested in a folky singer-songwriter, try Mary-Chapin Carpenter, Catie Curtis, The Story, or Christine Kane. Your money will be better spent there.

Poignant
This was my first Lucinda Williams CD and my favorite in many ways. Ten years ago it seemed as consistent as her first album, and I admit on re-listening today that it isn't. The instrumentation has become dated, and between that and the New And Improved production on her later releases, I can see how others may have skipped this one or may want to. It would be a loss, though, not to have this CD that speaks so poignantly to loss.

If I had to pick a single favorite Lucinda Williams song, the title track would be tempting. This song about suicide is her masterpiece, and you're not human if you aren't moved by it. It takes a poet to succeed with such a song. "Something About What Happens When We Talk" was the first of her songs I ever heard and remains a particular favorite. On hearing it I began my arguments with myself over whether her simple lyrics were trite or minimalistic. I eventually decided on the latter, and this song is so very intelligent and evocative, like so many here. The theme of suicide and loss from "He Never Got Enough Love" (those songs about men with abusive childhoods haven't stopped or become more subtle from here to "Sweet Side") through "Pineola" is perfectly realized. I don't have Lucinda's gift with words, but hers is used to remarkable effect in this series of songs.

There are lighter pleasures here, from touching story songs ("Six Blocks Away", "Sidewalks of the City") to a fun, sweet love song like "Lines Around Your Eyes". Even before I had those lines I thought this was a great song, and now that we live in a culture that worships youth like never before, you can't beat the sentiment. "Hot Blood" is often a great song live, but unfortunately wasn't recorded in a way that captured the heat. Still, it's a must-have for any fan.

There are weaker moments. Some of the lyrics on "Prove My Love" seem trite, though others are moving, and it's very country. I find "Memphis Pearl a bit maudlin, but not bad. And the cover of "Which Will" is nice enough, but dispensable.

This is probably not the first CD I would recommend for someone who wanted an introduction to Lucinda Williams. It's musically dated, not perfectly consistent, and that's less true of her first CD or of Car Wheels. Still, the sense of it being a theme album for the first half or so of the recording, and a series of truly great songs - "Something About What Happens", "Sweet Old World", "Little Angel", "Pineola" - and a few that are simple fun - "Lines Around Your Eyes" and "Hot Blood" - are essential for any serious Lucinda fan.

Excellent as Usual
I completely disagree with the tone of the editorial review. This is an amazing album, and Lucinda Williams is an amazing artist. "He Never Got Enough Love" is a great song...and completely up to par in my opinion. If you like Lucinda Williams, or you just appreciate great vocals and arrangements, buy it, you won't be dissapointed.

A notch down from "Car Wheels," but still worth the ride
This CD sometimes gets lost in considerations of Williams's work, sandwiched as it is between the auspicious "Lucinda Williams" and the amazing "Car Wheels on a Gravel Road." It is true that the songs do not have the consistency that you get on either of those other CDs. But, when stacked up against the disappointing and, frankly, mediocre, "Essence", this one shines. The high points are certainly the title song,'Pineola' and 'Little Angel, Little Brother', the latter quite possibly the finest song she has written. There is still some distance between Williams and the truly great (Dylan, Joni Mitchell, the Band, Richard Thompson) though. We owe Williams thanks for allowing us to see that in a way that is internal to this CD. Her version of Nick Drake's 'Which Will' is affecting, but, put on "Pink Moon" and then I think we can all agree which one is 5 stars and which one isn't. ... Read more

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There's an old quote of St. Theresa's that goes something like, "More tears are shed over answered prayers than those that remain unanswered." In other words, be careful what you wish for--you just might get it. Don McLean, like any other singer-songwriter, no doubt wanted a hit, or some degree of success. "American Pie" gave him that and more. McLean's ode to Buddy Holly began with a folky intro that sounded like a protest song. Almost nine minutes later the song finally ends. Sure the song's poetic, sure it's a touching tribute, and sure, it's undeniably a classic. But it also became the bane of McLean's existence for many years as it was the only one of his songs that people wanted to hear. American Pie the album sold well on the strength of the title track, and even propelled the comparatively weak "Vincent" into the Top 20. A fine release rooted in folk, American Pie is a classic, whether anyone actually pays attention to the other songs or not. The 2003 reissue includes two bonus tracks—"Mother Nature" and "Aftermath." --Steve Gdula ... Read more

Reviews (59)

American Pie.....An American Classic
Undoubtedly one of the finest albums ever to be made, American Pie is a classic in every sense of the word. While the title track dominates, the other tracks are equally impressive and form a cohesive whole. Don McLean's singing is simple and pure and the instrumentation is perfect throughout.

I have had this album in several incarnations: original vinyl, the tracks of which are long worn out, the disappointing vinyl re-issue of some ten years later (Sister Fatima is not, by the way, a CD "bonus track"....it was on the original album, then was inexplicably deleted from the reissue. It is a wonderful song and I never understood the reason for its omission).

A very pleasant surprise is "Everybody Loves Me Baby," a song about "inflated ego" which has never received the attention it deserved. It is, quite simply, a lot of fun. The remaining tracks are excellent, rooted in the fine traditions of folk rock. This is one of those albums that, if the songs had been written over many years, would have been considered a greatest hits LP. As it was, Mr. McLean poured almost everything into one marvelous album.

A Classic Revisited
In 1971 the world was changed somewhat by an 8 minute plus song that became an anthem for a generation. American Pie the longest single in history went on to become the most disected - there are web sites dedicated to it's interpretation . American Pie is clearly the best Album never to have won a Grammy - though it was nominated for 4 - apart from the title tracks it is filled with classic songs like Vincent (Starry Starry Night)Winterwood , Empty Chairs and Babylon. This set is remastered and includes 2 songs from the original sessions that were left off the original Album . The packaging is unique in that it is designed to replicate the original album - fold out cardboard style with sleeve inserts - well done Capitol Records.Liner notes are excellent and McLean also writes about each song. This is a must have classic that should be in every collection.

till tomorrow
SO BEAUTIFUL! can't say anything more. this man is amazing.

I especially like Crossroads and Till Tomorrow, but of course I like American Pie and know all the words to every track. I also reccommend Tapestry and Homeless Brother.

INCREDIBLE SOUND
Congratulations are due to Doug Schwartz, who remastered this CD. The sound is absolutely beautiful and of audiophile quality. This album is a bargain at this price; they should be charging two or three times the asking price. I own many remastered audiophile LPs and CDs (in many different formats and re-mastering processes) and this is one of the best sounding recordings that I have ever heard. Mr. Schwartz's work rivals that of the legendary Steve Hoffman, Bill Inglot and Bob Ludwig. I am so impressed with the sound quality of 'American Pie' that I recommend to EMI/ Capitol that they hand over the Beatles' catalogue to Mr. Schwartz to work his magic.

Folk Singer Don McLean's Classic Is Just That!
I love this album and thought Don McLean was one of the 70's best singer/songwriters. "American Pie" is a classic and so is "Vincent". The sound quality of this cd is excellent since it's been remastered. It also has bonus tracks that my old 1971 album never had. Buy it and enjoy! ... Read more

Amazon.com

Though several of Guthrie's records contain hidden gems well worth seeking out, his best-known songs are fairly obvious and easy to assemble on a single greatest-hits package. A hefty chunk of this record is taken up by the epic "Alice's Restaurant," which clocks in at 18-and-a-half minutes. Yet--while it's a definitive element of late 1960s counterculture--it's not his best song, either as writer or as performer. For the latter, his version of Steve Goodman's classic "City of New Orleans" remains the pinnacle of his career; among his own songs, it's hard to surpass the somewhat lesser-known but equally beautiful "Darkest Hour." Other highlights here include the rockin' "Comin' into Los Angeles" and the comedic "Motorcycle Song." --Peter Blackstock ... Read more

Reviews (13)

The incredible true story of the Alice's Restaurant Massacre
I just found a couple of poor souls who did not recognize the shrink scene from "Alice's Restaurant Massacree" and have just finished playing them the entire 18:30 epic story of littering and trying to end the war (not necessarily in that order). "The Best of Arlo Guthrie" is one of those albums where basically everything you want from an artist's career is found on a single disc. Besides the first track you need to have "Coming Into Los Angeles" (Arlo's big Woodstock song) and "City of New Orleans" (his biggest hit). I have been listening to a lot of Woody Guthrie lately, and I have noticed a strong similarity between Arlo's "Motorcycle (Significance of the Pickle) Song" and some songs written by his father. In fact, given how well he performed on the Woody Guthrie Tribute album, I would certainly like to hear Arlo do an entire album covering his father's songs (i.e., more than the "This Land Is Your Land" album where the two each do half the songs). There are certain memories from the Sixties and the war to end the war that you need to preserve, and "Alice's Restaurant Massacree" is right up there with the original cast album of "Hair" and anything by Dylan.

Worth buying
I bought this cd on a whim because it was cheap and I remembered a friend from grade school who loved Alice's Restaurant. I was pleasantly surprised. I'm too young to have any first-hand knowledge of his work: the first time I listened to this cd was the first time I had heard most of these songs. Therefore the songs sound interesting and funny to me. (How well they will wear is another question.)
For anyone who is unfamiliar with Arlo Guthrie's style, I will try to describe it. He is considered a folk singer, like his father, and some of the songs on this album are folk songs. Two of them, Alice's Restaurant Massacree (sic) and The Motorcycle Song are quite funny, and he has a good rapport with the audience going. (Some of the songs were recorded live.) However, other songs sound pretty much like standard early seventies rock, and so I would have to classify him as a folk-rock singer.
All in all, I think this cd is a good introduction to Arlo Guthrie. The sound quality is good, and it includes pretty well all of his well-known songs, so unless you want to study his work in depth, this cd is all you need.

Not all of Arlo's best
This CD is a good intro to Arlo, but he produced many more great songs so this album is just a start for any serious collector. Buy Amigo, Hobo's Lullabye, Last of the Brooklyn Cowboys and Alice's Restaurant (both the original and re-recorded version from 1996). These CD's contain some of the most beautiful and moving Folk/rock songs of our generation, and are largely forgotten today. Makes you appreciate his talent and humor to listen to these again.

An Intelligent Collection
Highlighted by the complete 18 minute version of "Alice's Restaurant Masacree," "The Best of Arlo Guthrie" neatly hits the highpoints of a career that for the most part has been non-commercial. Guthrie had a mighty big legacy to follow being the son of Woody Guthrie, and he rather cleverly emerged from the old man's shadow with his good natured wit and humor. The other highlights from the album are his ace cover of "City of New Orleans," which was his only true hit single, "Coming Into Los Angeles," and the best and funniest version of "The Motorcyle Song," the one that in which Arlo explains to a receptive live audience the "(Significance of the Pickle)."

Overall, an intelligently selected single disc anthology that will satisfy the casual fan.

Last train for glory
Some of the music here has dated, like the humorous Alice's Restaurant and Motorcycle, but the rest remains as beautiful and poignant as ever. Much of it has travelling as a theme, like Coming Into Los Angeles, Last Train, City Of New Orleans and Last To Leave. The Steve Goodman song about a train called the City Of New Orleans is a true classic of epic proportions but my favorite on the album is the soulful and moving Last Train with its poetic and spiritual lyrics and its sensitive treatment. It sounds like a gospel song and I would love to hear someone like e.g. Nina Simone interpreting it. Darkest Hour and Last To Leave have also stood the test of time very well. Although he emerged out of the 60s folk wave along with Dylan, Baez and many others, Guthrie's sound is refreshingly distinct and he has his own unique appeal. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Joni Mitchell's second album contains the first manifestations of her artistic brilliance. Where her debut, Song to a Seagull, has hints of greatness, Clouds displays the real thing. With her newfound control on melody and lyrical economy, she delivers songs that are readily accessible, instantly hummable, and virtually timeless. Her hippie excesses are still in view ("Songs to Aging Children Come" is untamed), but, for the most part, she has found her voice. "Both Sides Now" has become a lite-FM staple (thanks to Judy Collins's cover). While songs such as the incredibly idyllic "Tin Angel" (nicely covered by Tom Rush on his classic Circle Game), "Chelsea Morning," and "I Don't Know Where I Stand" have become modern folk standards. --Rob O'Connor ... Read more

Reviews (25)

For a reflective grey day
this album is underrated in the joni mitchell catalogue. i would only rank blue better. it is in the same ether as ladies of the canyon and court and spark. Clouds has a more melancholy vibe, yet very sweet and pretty. the songs are very gentle. chelsea morning is a more atypical song on the album, as it is more upbeat and perky. this album is great for winter days, for feeling introspective and pensive. i especially like tin angel, the song about midway, and gallery.

Bare-bones, platonic Joni - a beautiful album
Clouds was, perhaps, the album observers expected Joni Mitchell to release a year earlier. In recording her debut, Song to a Seagull, Joni avoided those of her songs made famous by other artists in favor of a "concept" approach centered around fairy-tale and nautical imagery. Pirates, seagulls, sailing ships, kings in tenement castles, I feel lost in the city. Its performance values were stark, free-form, echo-laden, with pseudo-medieval formalism. It was a verbose, grotesque, gorgeous-but-flawed treasure which was not for everybody.

Clouds, on the other hand, introduced a more wide-open Joni, her soaring soprano far freer than on the debut, with simpler song and lyrical structure and a mountain-spring-water-purity to the recording after Dave Crosby's muddy castle-fortress echo. Once again, the arrangements consist mainly of singer and guitar, although her voice is doubled and trebled more often, and the playing is closer to campfire strumming than on Song to a Seagull. The songs on Clouds convey a lush romanticism made heartbreaking and wistful by tales of love that is at turns found, lost, uncertain, or doomed. The album also unveils her own interpretations of several of her standards - "Tin Angel," "Chelsea Morning," "I Don't Know Where I Stand," "Both Sides Now." The playing and lyrics are Joni at her most straightforward, and her voice is at its gorgeous best on some of the tracks.

Although I love this album, I would rank it below several of her other pre-"Don Juan" discs - it is certainly my least favorite of her first period (the straightforward acoustic period, coinciding with her first four albums). It doesn't have the curious charm of the debut or the soul-deep passion of Blue. Ladies in the Canyon has a similar mood, but with far better arrangements and songwriting. Her singing on some of the songs here - "Tin Angel" and "The Fiddle and the Drum" stand out - is a rehash of her glum alto affectations on much of the debut. She's better off when she climbs up into the high end of her range (away with those philistines who consider her top end unlistenable), especially on "That Song about the Midway," in which Joni's high C's send haunted tingles down my spine. "Chelsea Morning" certainly conveys a certain joyful ebulliance, but of Joni's "token happy songs" on her early albums ("Night in the City," "Big Yellow Taxi," "Carey") I find it the weakest.

Clouds is, of course, home to "Both Sides Now," which is arguably Joni's signature song. Melodically gorgeous and lyrically reflective, it seems to draw all of her epic romantic experiences into a sorrowful lesson - "I really don't know love/life at all."

Joni tuning up
Joni Mitchell's 'Clouds' is her second album, released in 1969 after 'Song To a Seagull' (originally titled 'Joni Mitchell') which was released one year previous. However a review of the liner notes reveal that the copyrights for 8 of the 10 songs date back as far as 1966 ('I Think I Understand'), concentrate in 1967 ('Tin Angel', 'Chelsea Morning', 'I Don't Know Where I Stand', 'Songs To Aging Children's Come', and 'Both Sides, Now'), and finish up in 1968 ('That Song About the Midway' and 'Roses Blue'). So only two songs, 'The Gallery' and 'The Fiddle and the Drum' date from the same year as the album's release. Thus, what we are getting is an interesting cross-section of the development of Joni Mitchell as a composer, a thoughtful poet in a turbulent era.

'Clouds' is, in my estimation, a weak link in Joni Mitchell's early works, but that criticism must be tempered by the recognition that 'Ladies of the Canyon', 'Blue', and 'For the Roses' are all classics of the era. It should also be noted that the album does include what may well be Joni's finest composition, 'Both Sides, Now', which is to Mitchell what 'Like a Rolling Stone' or 'Blowin' In the Wind' is to Bob Dylan: a defining composition. Judy Collins, whose status as a performer was advanced well beyond Mitchell's at the time, turned 'Both Sides, Now' into a Top Ten hit, but despite her undeniable vocal talents the charting version has nothing on the take Mitchell offers here. Interestingly Collins also took another of Mitchell's songs from this disc, 'Chelsea Morning', and parlayed it into another hit song.

Sad to say, most of the rest of 'Clouds' does not live up to these two quality tracks. The one exception is the a capella 'The Fiddle and the Drum'. Mitchell's stark delivery of this thoughtful, persuasive composition draws even greater poignancy to an anti-war song not steeped in anger, as most anti-war songs are, but in self-contemplation. Two key verses in the song, "and I ask you why", and "so we ask you please" alternate twice in four stanzas. In 1969, at the height of the Vietnam conflict, the first question was looming deep in the psyche of America, especially those most likely to be listening to Mitchell, and the second question was provided a lyrical response: "find the peace and the star" and "trade the handshake for the fist". The song doesn't demean the war-maker, but draws him to a higher calling. Like Mitchell's 'Woodstock', the attempt is to turn the bomber planes into butterflies above our nation.

The remaining songs on 'Clouds' have melodies that are less distinct, and lyrics that are less compelling than what we are use to from Mitchell, or deal with themes intimate and personal to Mitchell, but perhaps of less consequence to the typical listener. 'Roses Blue', for example, deals with a woman's descent into "mysterious devotions", such as Tarot card reading and Zen. Many of the songs of course deal with Mitchell's favorite topic: romantic entanglements and the nuances therein. All are draped in Mitchell's trademark piano or guitar accompaniment. In fact, there are no credits to contributing musicians on any of the tracks.

In assessing 'Clouds' I'm tempted to tap that familiar bumper sticker that says, "A bad day ________ (fishing, shopping, etc.) is better than a good day at work", because a weak Joni Mitchell album is better than what most artists produce in a good day in the studio. It's all relative, and it's instructive to note that Joni has never produced anything inconsequential or lacking gravity and substance. Lyrics are included in this, one of Mitchell's few early works available in a High Definition configuration (go configure).

La Mitchell's Best
I love Joni. Clouds is my favorite. Blue and C&S seem to be the most appealing to the majority. With her accoustic guitar perfectly in tune, this self produced album is perfection. Every single song is a winner. I've owned the CD for years but only listened to Chelsea Morning-- until recently. What I'd been missing! To think I'd never even heard That song about the Midway, The Gallery, the haunting Roses Blue et. al., and I called myself a Joni fanatic. The absence of over production only adds to the records beauty. Joni demonstrates that she's a terriffic guitar player-- no piano on this one-- nor funky tuning, just sraight forward and beautiful. Everyone knows she's a great soprano but here she uses it only when needed rather than showing it off. The words to every number are poetic and filled with double entendre. Buy it, listen to it often and then buy it for others. Thanks Joni.

Absolutely mandatory buy
I have gone through three Joni stages: for a while, I was obsessed with Blue. Then, Ladies of the Canyon. I am in the midst of my Clouds phase right now. This is a gorgeous album. It goes on so many tangents. Sure, she has love songs that a great without being sappy, (I love I don't Know Where I Stand) but she also goes off on tangents. I adore how in Roses Blue she's suddenly, out of nowhere, singing about Wicca. It's great. Fiddle and Drum is a wonderful song, especially right now, with everything that is happening in this country and outside of it. Years after it was written, it still applies. A beautiful album. ... Read more

Amazon.com's Best of 2000

Mermaid Avenue, Vol. II finds Billy Bragg & Wilco setting Woody Guthrie's words to their own music a second time. The result is more sonically diverse than the first installment, but just as rewarding. With guests Natalie Merchant and bluesman Corey Harris lending their voices to this new-century hootenanny, this 15-song disc manages to capture the collective spirit of both IWW and the WTO times. Woody would've been proud of the initial collection; he'd be prouder still of this one. --Steven Stolder ... Read more

Reviews (40)

a posthumous release you'll be proud to own
Posthumous releases usually reek of shoody workmanship, but this inter-generational collaboration between Woody's words and Billy Bragg & Wilco's music is one-of-a-kind.

Perhaps the greatest aspect of this album are the featured singers. Billy Bragg has made good with his connections. Wilco, one-half of the estranged Uncle Tupelo (the band that single-handedly jump-started the roots rock movement) makes for an exceptional back-up band, and Jeff Tweedy pushes some of the better songs, such as "Secrets of the Sea."

Corey Harris, emerging as the new king of the Delta blues, takes it home with "Against the Law". Natalie Merchant adds a song Woody probably sang for his kids, sweet and simple.

The gorgeous thing about this album (and Vol. I) is its beautiful simplicity. The best songs are stripped down. Bragg isn't afraid to use a banjo, mandolin, or anything else deemed "outdated" by modern music. It's classic without being pretentious. When Bragg wails "All you facists are bound to lose," it might as well be Woody singing it.

Best album I've heard this year
I bought this album, mostly out of obligation to the MA1 and Wilco. Man, was I floored! This is the best album I've heard this year. In ways, much better than MA1. It took me a little while to get into Wilco's "Summerteeth", but once I heard this one, I can see Wilco is still as prolific as ever. If you enjoy songs by Wilco like, "Casino Queen", "Kingpin" & "Nothingsevergonna...", you'll be all over this album. There are great tracks like "Secrets of the Sea", very much in the vain of "California Stars" on MA1. I was absolutley amazed by the opening tune, "Airline To Heaven". That is a song for the ages. Also, Billy Bragg is in top form with a great "murder" song, "Meanest Man" and the VERY dark, "Black Wind Blowing". Natalie Merchant & Corey Harris are great additions as well. MA1 & MA2 are a seamless pair of albums and should be appreicated and loved for years to come. A great triumph, Woody Guthrie would be proud.

I think these guys made one mistake:
Perhaps Bragg though he found some old Buddy Holly lyrics.

I stumbled upon a gem...
I was born and bred on rock and roll, but lately I've been more interested in jazz, world music and classical. I'm not really enthusiastic about folk music, but I listen to it from time to time. When I pulled this album from the bin at the library, it was because I had heard some Billy Bragg before and thought it was interesting. I knew nothing of Jeff Tweedy and Wilco. This disk blew me away- ecclectic, original, different yet familiar, I think every track is a winner, even though I like some better than others. Certainly if you are sick of listening to the same old stuff, this is a great mixture of rock, blues, bluegrass, folk, and musical styles that should just be filed under "other." I enjoyed this sequqal much more than the first "Mermaid Avenue" disk- but judging from the other reviews this is an issue of personal taste. Then again, isn't music like that to begin with? I appreciate Woody Guthrie a whole lot more now, and I think it's tremendous what modern independant musicians have done with material from a previous generation. Definately check this disk out- I think it belongs in any serious music lover's collection.

remember the mountain bed
remember the mountain bed!!!!!!!!!!!!!awesome!!!!!!!!say what you like, think what you will, but this song is worth the whole album. If there is such a thing as human, If it has soul, then that soul sounds like this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ... Read more

Amazon.com

When last we left our hero, the former Green on Red guitarist--one of the most underrated Telecaster players on the planet--was parsing the connections between neo-soul, twangy blues, and Dylanesque rock on 2002's No Other Love, perhaps his best solo album. On this postmodern roots plunge, he swims deeper into pastiche song structures, adding lighter strings, heavier guitar licks, and more restless romanticism. His beats, however, remain as thick as they are organic, his voice occluded in a raspy filter. If the songwriting resonates a bit less fiercely (with the notable exceptions of the title track and the power-poppy "Just to See You Smile"), Prophet continues to make records that sound like none other on the loosely defined alt-country scene--lush, elliptical, inventive, moody, and deeply, even eloquently, grooved. --Roy Kasten ... Read more

Amazon.com's Best of 2001

Few artists in recent memory have been able to wring more from less than Lucinda Williams. The hauntingly beautiful, wistful, and often breathtaking Essence is another case in point of how far raw emotion and honesty can carry an artist. Williams's singing is at its paralyzing best throughout 11 bare originals, an incredibly affecting vocal performance by a woman who was not blessed with exceptional tone, range, or pitch. Throughout, her voice is incredibly naked, vulnerable, and wrought with feeling. "Blue" and "Broken Butterflies" are gorgeous anti-lullabies whose simple melodies belie their poignant ruminations. The title track is a sultry and susceptible sex-as-drug come-on while "Reason to Cry" has all the hallmarks of a classic country lament. The only departure from the subdued mood is "Get Right with God," a rousing gospel tune that practically begs for salvation through punishment and is the rare acknowledgement of a world beyond Williams's own fears and desires. More meditative than the personal narratives found on Car Wheels on a Gravel Road, Essence is ultimately more powerful. Williams wallows in sorrow and weakness, and the result is moving and disarming. --Marc Greilsamer ... Read more

Reviews (162)

WOW
I really liked Sweet Old World and loved Car Wheels on a Gravel Road, but I was totally unprepared for this CD which literally just ripped my heart completely out. From these reviews I guess some Lucinda fans see the simple lyrics and spare arrangements as dull or lazy, to me they're clearly deliberate and integral to the raw yet poetic tone of the entire recording, which often ventures beyond her country/folk roots to a more elemental mode of musical expression. While very simple, when taken in context with the mood and delivery (what delivery!) of each song, these stripped-down lyrics have incredible strength by virtue of their powerful and emotionally charged imagery. I found myself ready to cry halfway through my first listen to "Lonely Girls" and was pretty much a helpless wreck through the remainder of the CD. It's still incredibly powerful about two dozen listenings later. Some tracks are of course stronger than others (and the live loop effects do get a little tiresome), but on the whole this is the most intimate, unaffected, sensual and heartbreaking music I've heard in a very long time. It's been haunting me day and night since I first heard it.

More Excellent Songs by Lucinda
If you like good songwriting and are familiar with Lucinda Williams sound, you can't go wrong with this album. I had only heard "Car Wheels" and some older material prior to purchasing this CD, and after listening to it about 10 times, I can tell you it is a great CD. The only issues I have is that the first four songs, while pleasant enough, just don't contain the "umph" that drew me so close to "Car Wheels" which is one of my top three all time favorite albums. That all changes when the CD hits track #5, "Out of Touch". Lucinda jumps from simple repetitive (ex. "Lonely Girls" - Sweet Sad Songs x3, Heavy Blankets x3, I should know x3) verses into more personal observations and stories on this song. Sure you get more of the repetitive style on the title track, but the honey dripping off the song will gum up your CD player! By far, "Essence" is probably one of the most lusty songs ever written. "Bus to Baton Rouge", "Get Right With God" - everything from track 5 on is easily as good, if not better, than "Car Wheels", but with just a slightly different feel. Overall, though, a four-star album by Lucinda Williams is probably about 10 times better than a five-star album by a lot of other artists.

My favorite Lucinda Williams CD yet
Lucinda Williams is a very talented songwriter and performer. She varies a bit from CD to CD in style, moving between a country-cajun and blues sound.

The sad, almost mournful sound of this work really appeals to me. I liked every song, especially Blue, I Envy The Wind, and Lonely Girls.

If you are looking for a mellow sorrowful Lucinda, this is your CD. Or maybe you're just depressed.

Mike

Did You Miss This One?
Well, you shouldn't have. The much-anticipated follow-up to Car Wheels suffered at the time of its release for not delivering what many expected. It got reviewed not for what it is, an intimate take on being a woman with and without love, but for what it is not -- Car Wheels, Part Two. I still haven't figured out what Get Right With God, a revival gospel number, is doing here. And Bus to Baton Rouge, while a musical fit with the rest of the CD, recounts a different theme, an adult visit with mixed emotions to the childhood home. Everywhere else on the remaining nine cuts Lucinda is all about love -- or the lack of it. Among other takes, she's a lonely girl under heavy blankets, a thief after love, a jukebox-playing seeker of solace, and a betrayed broken butterfly. But better than all these, she absolutely nails what it feels like to be obsessed in love, when she envies the wind, rain and sun touching her lover every moment of the day and in the refrain from the title cut -- I am waiting here for more, I am waiting by your door, I am waiting on your back steps...

Lucinda's latest CD is a falloff from her peak, but don't believe that of Essence. Three years after its release, it deserves to be seen finally for what it is -- a quietly breathtaking CD every bit as strong as, and distinct from, Car Wheels on a Gravel Road.

if Neil Young was a woman...
If Neil Young was a woman, he'd probably be Lucinda Williams; both have that world-weary angst, both have rather thin voices that are decidely not pretty, but that carry a lot of power and emotion. Both are totally unique and brilliant, and write with an honesty that is rare these days.
In this collection of mellow songs, Lucinda explores God, lust and loneliness, and in very simple phrases captures a world of human emotions.

The musicianship is superb, and among the deluxe performers that play along with Lucinda on acoustic guitar are: Jim Keltner on drums; Tony Garnier on bass; Bo Ramsey on electric guitar; David Mansfield on violin and viola; Reese Wynans on Hammond B3 organ, and Charlie Sexton on a myriad of instruments
Favorites for me are "I Envy the Wind", with lyrics that every woman can identify with at one time or another in her life, "Are You Down", with such great work from Bo Ramsey and Reese Wynans, the hungry for love title song, and the fabulous "Get Right with God", which is the only up-tempo number on the CD.

The daughter of poet Miller Williams, Lucinda's songs have been covered by singers like Patty Loveless ("Night's Too Long") and Mary Chapin Carpenter ("Passonate Kisses"), and have earned her the coveted Grammy Award. Gutsy and gritty, this CD shows an artist that has character, and the strength to stand alone in a world full of copycats. The booklet insert contains all the lyrics, and total playing time is 51'03. ... Read more

Amazon.com

While Waiting For An Echo was recorded in hotel rooms, dressing rooms, and studios on two continents, the album sounds sonically cohesive with an emphasis on instrumentals. Stylistically, however, the quintet of top-flight musicians is all over the place. There's a bushel of Irish traditionals that come in shape of reels and jigs strung together (the even-keeled "Steven Campbell's/The Road Ringussoon/The Bag Of Beer" is a highlight); but the band also dives into folk-pop balladry on "The Silver Dagger" and "Erin," conjures a little country twang on "Lowground" and "On A Sea Of Fleur de Lis." A handful of guests further diversify things, but one thing about Celtic musicians is their thirst for jamming, so in way this is a more realistic look at a band than some of its Celtic music-leaning fans may be willing to allow. Nevertheless, there is enough here to keep them placated, unless you're fan of singer Patricia Scanlon, who contributions are limited to a few songs. – Tad Hendrickson ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Pretty good, but they've done better
I only really like this cd because of "Silver Dagger" its such a beautiful song, the others are pretty good, but i like sunny spells and scattered showers. edge of silence is good too. I would recommend this to someone. Such a good album, but not 5 star worthy.

Turn me back to a witch...
Although I knew of Solas from an article in Dirty Linen Magazine, I had never actually listened to them until I bought "Waiting for a Echo" just a week ago. I am amazed at this band's versatility and flexability, and at their sheer power.
I won't fall into the trap of debating what is traditional and what isn't. I'll leave that to the people more knowlegable with that sort of thing. All I'm attempting to say in this review is that I like Solas very much and I appreciate their talent. This is a very very good album and one which makes me sit and listen to the music. I say that because so often people will put a CD on and engage in some other activity, using the music playing as background noise.I do not believe this type of music is intended for background noise. It does require your attention, and grab your attention it does! Songs such as "On a sea of Fleur De Lis",
The Ploughman", and "Silver Dagger" grabbed me immediately upon hearing them. Much has been said in other reviews of Solas "selling out" and becoming just another pop band. Trust me, this band is not The Corrs and never will be. That's not to say I don't like The Corrs and their brand of pop music,it's only to say that Solas is not, and never will be, as pop as the Corrs. Solas is a wonderful band, and "Waiting for an Echo" is a wonderful album.

A Return to Form
After wandering from their base, especially with Edge of Silence, Solas has returned to form.There is no better traditional Irish band at work and Waiting for an Echo reinforces that fact.Solas delivers the best version ever of The Silver Dagger.Deirdre Scanland delivers great vocal readings of On A Sea Of Fleur De Lis and The Ploughman.(If there is a fair criticism of this cd, it is that Deirdre's beautiful voice is not present enough.)

The jigs and reels are exactly what we have come to expect from Solas.This is there best record since The Words That Remain.Given a few listens more, I might come back and say it is better thn anything they have done.

The sound of a band coming apart
This album is musically incoherent, to my ears.Electric guitars, rock songs, drum kits, huh?It appears that the various band members each chose a couple numbers and paid no attention to how the mess would sound when it was put together.For too much of the CD, Dierdre Scanlan and Winifred Horan are absent.I loved their last album and really like their first three.I'll stick to those. ... Read more

Amazon.com's Best of 2001

While not as out-of-left-field revelatory and astonishing astheir exalted debut,nor as darkly magnetic as their sophomore follow-up,Volume 3: Further in Time finds Afro Celt SoundSystem fleshed out, funky, and fiercely fresh. Now a band of20-some-odd players, the Afro Celts push forward with unbounded energy andfocus, organically driven beats, and a thoroughly joyous fusion of WestAfrican and Irish traditional music enhanced with dissonant Easterninfluence, psychedelic trip-hop groove, and a monster flood of sonicwaves. The resultant sound is somehow both cutting-edge futuristic andprimitive in its visceral virility. Demba Barry steps up with anunexpectedly punchy African hip-hop-styled vocal on "Shadowman,""Lagan" plays out into an orchestral swan dive, and, throughout, JohnnyKalsi and Moussa Sissokho come on like gangbusters with the drums. RealWorld label honcho and world-music champion Peter Gabriel doesa stunning turn on the eminently catchy "When You're Falling," and Robert Plantcontributes a powerfully epic rock vocal on "Life Begins Again." Fineas all these moments are, the centerpiece of volume 3, where the bandachieves beyond perfect synthesis, is the ecstatic groove-lock on theAfrican acid ceilidh of "Colossus." Volume 3 is the tune-in turn-onwe've been waiting for. --Paige La Grone ... Read more

Reviews (55)

Breathtaking.... I'm speechless
This has got to be the best world album ever made. It surpasses anything I've ever heard before....

After buying the Stigmata soundtrack and hearing Afro Celt's "Release" with Sinead 'O Connor I thought that it was good but not enough so to persuade me to buy their record. But when I heard of their new release on CNN's Worldbeat I became deeply curious. It wasn't until I heard three songs on two different occasions from a local radio station that I knew I had to obtain their third album Volume 3: Further In Time. I bought it with much haste and am so glad that I did because it fuses everything I look for in world music.

My favorites (though I love them all) would have to be the catchy single "When You're Falling" and "Persistence Of Life," which both feature the incredible male vocals of Peter Gabriel, the electronic-based "Shadowman," the African-dance tune "Further In Time," the rock/egyptian-tinged "Life Begin Again--" which is sung by Robert Plant--, "Go On Through" with its Celtic opening and its breakthrough to airy, alternative female singing by Pina, and the final track, "Onwards," which will enrapture you in its timeless beauty. In other