Release Date: 05 September, 1995
Audio CD
Tracks
- Diamond In The Rough
- Shotgun Down The Avalanche
- I Don't Know Whay
- Cry Like An Angel
- Ricochet In Time
- Another Long One
- Stranded
- Something To Believe In
- Don't You Think I Feel It Too
- Kathy's Song
- Knowing What I Know Now
|
Rating 5.0
An unadorned diamondMost of these songs subsequently appeared on Steady On, but that album's production - too lush and sweet - runs counter to the meaning of these gems. Here we see the other side of the spectrum in terms of production - a woman singing great personal songs accompanied by just her own guitar. These are the best songs that Shawn Colvin ever wrote by far. You'd have to go back to Joni Mitchell in the 1960s before you found anything better than this for this genre of popular music.
Her voice is strong and plaintive, her picking on open tuning gives her a distinctive guitar style, and while I would prefer to have heard these songs done in a studio with a production that matched the mood, this is more than good enough. Very few people can go out on stage accompanied by just themselves and energize an audience. Shawn Colvin is one of those rare birds that can.
It's said that everyone has one good book in them. It may be that similarly most songwriters have one good album's worth of material in them. If so, then this is Shawn Colvin's one good album worth of songs. And it's more than good. It's wonderful. Emotion and Earthly BeautyHaving known Shawn Colvin just from her overplayed studio efforts, I was unprepared for this album, which not only approaches but achieves true greatness. She should NEVER return to the studio, given the capabilities on display here: a voice of lyrical sweetness and flawless intonation, perfectly integrated guitar playing of great imagination, and song-writing capabilities that are, if not exactly on the Joni Mitchell level (whose are?), impressively mature.Oddly enough, the true stand-out here is a version of Simon and Garfunkel's "Kathy' Song" which, if it doesn't cause you to tear up, you're some sort of heartless automaton. There isn't a weak track on the album, and repeated hearings leave one with an odd hybrid of awe and love. One can only wish she'll see fit to record in this manner again. Very highly recommended. The ultimate "girl-and-a-guitar" album -- buy it immediatelyPrior to purchasing this CD, I was a lukewarm Shawn Colvin listener. Basically, I knew her from "Sunny Came Home" and "Polaroids", and although I liked her, I wasn't in a rush to buy her discography. Then I stumbled on an Amazon review titled "Renders Steady On Obsolete" or something like that. It was such a rave that I purchased "Live 88" -- NOW I'M A RAVING SHAWN COLVIN FAN! All that the aforementioned reviewer said is true, plus this: While Shawn Colvin isn't the guitar virtuoso of a Patty Larkin or the songwriting genius of a Dar Williams, this album will blow you away as much as Patty or Dar ever did. The "unplugged" format showcases Shawn's voice, which is heart-rending on "Shotgun Down the Avalanche" when she sings "I will raise up my voice/Into the void/For you have left me nowhere to go". If that doesn't raise the hairs on the back of your neck, demand your money back! "Kathy's Song" is a fave, and even though I recognize that the lyrics of "I Don't Know Why" are a bit trite, I still mist up when she sings "And everytime that you look that way/I would lay down my life for you". If you're ever forced onto a desert island with a solar-powered CD player, be sure to take this one. Ten years (and one bad sunburn) later, you'll still be happy with your choice! |
|
