Monday, August 22, 2005
Man Alive
Well, folks, it's been 14 years since Stephen Stills put out a solo album of original music. Even that last disc, Stills Alone, found Stills in less than creative form, not terribly passionate, and rough in the voice. Plus, with four of the ten songs covers, it seemed thrown together. Much less of the great acoustic Stills album people expected and anticipated in the 70s.
Man Alive! fits the title. He's back, he's put real effort into this, and it works.
Will I like this?
If you're a Stills fan, read on. If you always thought Stills was the weakest of CSNY, you say you can't stand his voice, or you're saying right now, "Who's Stephen Stills?", then you may want to click the "Next Blog>>" button to the upper-right. This is not the day for you at wrfarah.blogspot.com. Come again!
So here it is, what I never really thought I'd be writing -- my track-by-track review of the new Stephen Stills CD:
Ain't it Always -- good opener. Mike Finnigan, who plays keyboards throughout the album, is on backing vocals pretty prominently here. Strong vocal and lyric from Stills. He usually knows how to open an album, and this follows the tradition.
Feed the People -- as my wife put it, it sounds too manufactured. This is Stills's real "We are the World" song, and he lays it on too thick. This breaks my theory that the second song on every album usually rules. Way too much synth. Lyric is too simplistic. It's OK for a listen once or twice, but this is going to be the song I skip whenever I play the album.
Hearts Gate -- Very well-written song. Kind of a tired singing voice from Stills, but it works. Nice acoustic song that you kind of forget about because it's so short.
'Round the Bend -- One of the best tracks on the album. It's a "story" song, which Stills doesn't write very often. It's about growing up and meeting Neil Young to form the Buffalo Springfield. And for that reason, it's perfectly appropriate that Neil guests on guitar, showing up prominently at the end.
I Don't Get It -- At first listen, this song suffers from Finnigan's horribly dated 80s keyboards, and the backup singers are a bit too perfect, although they grow on you. But Stills's vocals and terrific guitarwork overshadow all that. There's a slight reggae upbeat to this that stands out nicely against the other songs and then gets in your head for the rest of the day. I honestly didn't think Stills had a song like this left in him.
Around Us -- Again, I'm not sure why the production sensibilities are stuck in the 80s, or why Stills prefers to work with Finnigan (and drummer Joe Vitale, who also seems to love the manufactured music), but the song works. The main problem with this song is the backup singers. I know he went for a real, slick production, but what Stills really needs is the Black Crowes's backup singers. They don't sound note-perfect on harmony, but they can belt it out. More soul, less Casio. Still, it's catchy.
Ole Man Trouble -- This is a Booker T. song Stills has covered for years. It's all right. Decent blues. He really shouts it out. Everyone seems to like this version, but I'm not so sure it was necessary. I think Finnigan should be shot for going and tossing synth on top of the Hammond organ. I'd prefer this more sparse than so full.
Different Man -- a duet with Neil. Very nice guitar playing and melody. Neil sounds rough on the backing vocals. I wonder if they only had time for one take or if they were just lazy, but he sounds off.
Piece of Me -- Another acoustic song. A bit darker, more subdued. Great harmonica, which we rarely get with Stills. Sounds like a train song. This song shows how limited Stills's vocal range has become since the 70s. Nevertheless, he works with what he's got. He can't hit the high notes or hold the long ones, but he makes use of what he's got. He's like Toni Kucok.
Wounded World -- Graham Nash is all over this song. It's so-so. A bit too much maudlin Nash.
Drivin' Thunder -- This was done on CSNY's American Dream album. It's like a NASCAR ad. Neat drum beat. You can tell Stills likes the car racing. I don't know that this is a song that needed to be re-done, but it fits.
Acadienne -- He's been playing this one live for a while now. It's the red herring of the group. Odd sort of country/bayou song with some French lyrics. Very upbeat.
Spanish Suite -- This is the most unexpected song, and one of the best he's written. More than eleven minutes long, it begins in Spanish, moves to English, then back to Spanish, before finishing with some great soloing by Stills and Herbie Hancock. The Spanish guitar playing is incredible, and the singing is note perfect.
So there we are -- 8 winners, 4 all right to so-so, and 1 in the tank = B+.
Man Alive! fits the title. He's back, he's put real effort into this, and it works.
Will I like this?
If you're a Stills fan, read on. If you always thought Stills was the weakest of CSNY, you say you can't stand his voice, or you're saying right now, "Who's Stephen Stills?", then you may want to click the "Next Blog>>" button to the upper-right. This is not the day for you at wrfarah.blogspot.com. Come again!
So here it is, what I never really thought I'd be writing -- my track-by-track review of the new Stephen Stills CD:
Ain't it Always -- good opener. Mike Finnigan, who plays keyboards throughout the album, is on backing vocals pretty prominently here. Strong vocal and lyric from Stills. He usually knows how to open an album, and this follows the tradition.
Feed the People -- as my wife put it, it sounds too manufactured. This is Stills's real "We are the World" song, and he lays it on too thick. This breaks my theory that the second song on every album usually rules. Way too much synth. Lyric is too simplistic. It's OK for a listen once or twice, but this is going to be the song I skip whenever I play the album.
Hearts Gate -- Very well-written song. Kind of a tired singing voice from Stills, but it works. Nice acoustic song that you kind of forget about because it's so short.
'Round the Bend -- One of the best tracks on the album. It's a "story" song, which Stills doesn't write very often. It's about growing up and meeting Neil Young to form the Buffalo Springfield. And for that reason, it's perfectly appropriate that Neil guests on guitar, showing up prominently at the end.
I Don't Get It -- At first listen, this song suffers from Finnigan's horribly dated 80s keyboards, and the backup singers are a bit too perfect, although they grow on you. But Stills's vocals and terrific guitarwork overshadow all that. There's a slight reggae upbeat to this that stands out nicely against the other songs and then gets in your head for the rest of the day. I honestly didn't think Stills had a song like this left in him.
Around Us -- Again, I'm not sure why the production sensibilities are stuck in the 80s, or why Stills prefers to work with Finnigan (and drummer Joe Vitale, who also seems to love the manufactured music), but the song works. The main problem with this song is the backup singers. I know he went for a real, slick production, but what Stills really needs is the Black Crowes's backup singers. They don't sound note-perfect on harmony, but they can belt it out. More soul, less Casio. Still, it's catchy.
Ole Man Trouble -- This is a Booker T. song Stills has covered for years. It's all right. Decent blues. He really shouts it out. Everyone seems to like this version, but I'm not so sure it was necessary. I think Finnigan should be shot for going and tossing synth on top of the Hammond organ. I'd prefer this more sparse than so full.
Different Man -- a duet with Neil. Very nice guitar playing and melody. Neil sounds rough on the backing vocals. I wonder if they only had time for one take or if they were just lazy, but he sounds off.
Piece of Me -- Another acoustic song. A bit darker, more subdued. Great harmonica, which we rarely get with Stills. Sounds like a train song. This song shows how limited Stills's vocal range has become since the 70s. Nevertheless, he works with what he's got. He can't hit the high notes or hold the long ones, but he makes use of what he's got. He's like Toni Kucok.
Wounded World -- Graham Nash is all over this song. It's so-so. A bit too much maudlin Nash.
Drivin' Thunder -- This was done on CSNY's American Dream album. It's like a NASCAR ad. Neat drum beat. You can tell Stills likes the car racing. I don't know that this is a song that needed to be re-done, but it fits.
Acadienne -- He's been playing this one live for a while now. It's the red herring of the group. Odd sort of country/bayou song with some French lyrics. Very upbeat.
Spanish Suite -- This is the most unexpected song, and one of the best he's written. More than eleven minutes long, it begins in Spanish, moves to English, then back to Spanish, before finishing with some great soloing by Stills and Herbie Hancock. The Spanish guitar playing is incredible, and the singing is note perfect.
So there we are -- 8 winners, 4 all right to so-so, and 1 in the tank = B+.
