Sheryl Crow – Feels like home

This is one of those records that makes you a little uneasy on first listen. Sheryl Crow (all I wanna do, Run baby run etc) is an artist who has stood the test of time. Her rocking past has given way to a more soft and gentle side of things. 

She now is firmly in the Country club. 

Now as a rule although at times I enjoy a country tune as much as the next man which is in small doses or in the poppy form of the likes of Taylor Swift with her crushingly bubblegum sound. So Sheryl’s CD filled me with a little trepidation, especially as I was not too enamoured by a lot of stuff she had done of the recent past. 

So here is Sheryl rocking away Country style. 

Every song is well crafted with great lyrics.  They range from the totally over the top and wryly sarcastic “waterproof mascara” which tells the tale of single parenthood. The lyrics include the lines:

“And so I wear waterproof mascara
There's things you shouldn't see when you're a kid
Thank God they make waterproof mascara
'Cuz it won't run like his daddy did”

As a single dad I can relate too much of the sentiments but would not have thought about displaying them in this way, but the song is great. Then there is the serious song “We Oughta Be Drinkin’” which has a classic verse in it: 

“I’m glad I hate my job
What’s your excuse?
You got a broken heart or are you just thirsty too?
Could be anything
But whatever the case
I think we’re all planning on getting sh*t-faced.....

“Well it’s one of them nights, feels like we oughta be drinkin'
We gotta get a little rowdy like we’re living in a country song...”

The CD is a joy to listen to when you are in the mood for a sing along.  It is the modern day Alanas Morissettte ode to being well and truly messed up by the people in your life and reflects the paradoxes that modern life has in today’s situations. This is exemplified by the song “Crazy Ain’t original” which is a song about the ludicrousness of the current trend of real life television scu as Big Brother etc. The song states that the things we once considered as stupid are now the norm and that we are not able to judge what is crazy anymore.

In fact almost every track has merits, and like Gretchen Peters “Hello Cruel World” it is a CD that has longevity written all over it.  If you haven’t bought it, go buy it.  It’s a keeper.

10/10

 

Ben Watt - Hendra

On a whim I decided to give Ben Watt’s second album a spin. Some thirty something years since his previous CD with ETBTG giving him enough time to think up a tune or two and as such this is his second CD of the year. For those who don’t remember Ben, he was the other one in the group ‘Everything but the Girl’ along with Tracey Thorn, whose seminal album (on Vinyl) was a regular player in my youth.

For this album Ben has hauled in Bernard Butler who performs some excellent guitar work adding light and shade to the tracks and making a few highlights in the process. Also David Gilmour features on one track.

Ben doesn’t really sing. Well he does, but in a very quiet fashion reminiscent of Al Stewart (‘Year of the cat’ fame). The title of the album Hendra is illusive and possibly refers to the hamlets in Cornwall (UK). What is evident is that each song is well crafted and designed to leave the listener unsure after the first listen. The album has a chilled out feel with some excellent songs which depict stories and tales.  When I was younger we used to have to listen to albums to “get into them”. When Sabbath or Floyd released a record we knew that the first play would only be the spoiler as the real enjoyment would come after many plays when the intricacies of the music would unfold.  Now trying not to sound too hippy, this is what you need to do with Ben’s album. It is mandatory that you give it three listens before you pass judgement.

For me it is a breath of fresh air in a rather stale music scene. An album to be proud of and one that if I were to make an album it would sound like this.

If you want to challenge yourself to explore something great, go pick up a copy. 

*****