Release Date: 23 January, 1996
Audio CD
Tracks
- As Cool as I Am
- February
- Iowa (Traveling III)
- Christians and Pagans
- This Was Pompeii
- Ocean
- Family
- Pointless, Yet Poignant, Crisis of a Co-Ed
- Blessings
- Southern California Wants to Be Western New York
- Mortal City
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Rating 5.0
My favorite album by DarI have all of Dar's albums, and this remains my favorite one.
The title song, Mortal City, is an interesting story about a very very cold apartment without either radiator heat or electricity. Been there, done that, in Brooklyn apartment buildings. There's an element of romance (more or less, not really) but the main story is the love shown by the city to hospital patients.
The song Family is so sweet, so achingly sweet. Let your love cover me like a pair of angel wings. You are my family.
Southern Cali Wants To Be Western New York is cute. It is a song of respect, maybe of nostalgia, for New York. I'm told it is about Buffalo. Snowy Buffalo. And yet, Dar isn't too fond of the snow in February, is she?
Iowa is a favorite of mine also. She woke up from a nightmare that she couldn't bear - that her lover was walking out on the hills of Iowa and not thinking of her. That line is very meaningful to me, and reminds me of someone I still love, from my past. It's sad when something like that comes true.
This Was Pompeii is beautifully crafted lyrically. We are placed in Pompeii as it is being destroyed by the famous volcano. By the end of the song we see that Pompeii's destruction is comparable to the singer's personal tragedy, her divorce.
Crisis of a Coed is a cute story about Dar's Sagittarius boyfriend in the arms of a woman protesting the cruel use of fur. Yes, Dar, I agree that the fur is already dead.
February is the most striking song on the album, the one that seems to grab everyone's attention right away, even those who aren't fans of Dar. I have never really been very affected emotionally by the depression of winter, so I can't feel what she is going through, and my first impression was that she wasn't even talking about the depression caused by a New England winter, but using it as an allegory as she used the volcano of Pompeii as an allegory. After all, we do know what a flower is; it isn't something we forget. Dar's singing is haunting. My only depression associated with winter is having to shovel the damn snow that the town authorities shove in front of my house to clear the street.
Christians And Pagans is another cute story, making a point about religious tolerance. Dar's politics aren't as up front as my goddess Ani DiFranco. Tolerance is nice though.
This album has so many of my favorite Dar songs, though all the other albums have gems as well. You can't skip Honesty Room's two gems, When I Was A Boy and The Babysitter's Here.Dar is my favorite discoveryI discovered Dar via my iPod and of the hundreds of songs I have purchased, she is my favorite discovery. My favorites on this album are Iowa, As Cool as I Am, and Mortal City. I bought my daughter this album along with concert tickets for her and a friend as a BDay gift, and she thought it was awesome.Frankly, I was a little disappointedI had heard several Dar Williams on the radio and decided to take the plunge and buy this album.Frankly, I was a little disappointed. What makes Dar Williams so good -- her personal reflection and honesty -- can be a bit much in such a big dose! I listened to it on several road trips, so I gave it a fair shake and now it is sitting in my collection gathering dust. Maybe when I'm feeling a little depressed, I'll give the CD another spin. It's very emotional music so probably you have to be in the right emotional place to listen to it. That being said, "Mortal City" (the song) really is a great little piece of story telling. |
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