Okay, I just completed my first full "listen" of the new record. Definitely PURE NASHVILLE, and Alt-Country most of the way through. The four previously released singles were just a taste of what this album is. It's a tad all over the place, musically and sonically but in a good way. A true gift to the fans, but I have a feeling this album is going to get A LOT of divided reactions from most of you.
"Starshine" ~ Still rocking! Still a solid single and a great choice to open this record.
"If You Were My Love" ~ Chills!!! Fan-f**king-tastic!!! The lyrics she chose for this version are a nice combination of the original piano demo and the "Mirage" outtake. The bridge gets a tad dark and mystical, briefly, and makes this one of four songs (this plus 24 Karat Gold, Belle Fleur, and All The Beautiful Worlds) on this record that are very atmospheric & mystical. The vocal harmonies are EXCELLENT and...I PROMISE YOU...THIS is the version we always wanted this song to be!!!
It very well may be my favorite song on this record!!!
"Mabel Normand" ~ This is literally WORD FOR WORD the same as the demo. It's a strange song. An alt-Country mid tempo song that continues all the way through like a freight train. It's still very much a spoken song and still very much has no structure. But her vocal is STRONG and SOBER. I guess the closest thing to a chorus here is the "You change sides" lines. At the end, the instrumentation builds to a crazy late 70's, Southern California cacophony, which is excellent and closes the track nicely.
"Twisted" ~ Well, it starts out "ballad-esque" but it is NOT a ballad. It is, in fact, a mid tempo rock song. The vocal is just as strong as the soundtrack version, but I still like the soundtrack version better. I don't hate it, but I miss the bridge from the soundtrack "I know, you know, watching you go is like dying" which is sadly missing. I do appreciate the very "Heartbreakers" musicality of it, though which still makes it a fun song.
"24 Karat Gold" ~ I STILL ADORE this track! The 70's classic rock sound. The witchiness. It sounds GREAT on vinyl! There are a lot of percussive nuances that you can hear more than the digital download we got earlier this week.
"Belle Fleur" ~ GREAT LONG INTRO! You'd NEVER know what demo this was if you went into it without knowing...after almost a minute, this long intro stops and then breaks into the familiar three descending chords from the demo. The drum beats on the verses are EXTREMEMLY UNIQUE and follow an intricate pattern. It's probably the most "country-fied" (in a good way) "Nashville-esque" tune, with banjo and overlapping guitars, yet it brings in a weird mystical quality that the demo never could...and just when you think it's over, that unique, atmospheric intro takes us out with Stevie repeating the first verse.
"All The Beautiful Worlds" ~ SO EIGHTIES!!! SO AWESOME!!! What great piano and synth there is on this track! It reminds me of something that would have been the theme song to an early 80's Jeff Bridges or Kathleen Turner sex thriller! I feel that the mysticism here in this track could be the "little sister" to a previously recorded 80's track but I just can't pinpoint which one just yet. Hahaha! The only thing I really miss is the shrill, high, "Wild Heart-ish" yelling from the original version.
"Lady" ~ Can't really say much more about this one than I already did in the "LAdy" thread. Still a great, powerhouse of a vocal!
"I Don't Care" ~ It starts out slow with an acoustic guitar. That's a trick, though because it immediately SLAMS into a great electric rocker. It's very similar at times to Steve Earle's "Copperhead Road". The vocal is VERY ANGRY through most, but on the bridge (and only the bridge) she gets softer as she "changes her mind" with the sentiment of the song. She does this twice, which makes the track a tad schizophrenic. By the way, the "leaked lyrics" posted a few weeks back are fake. Go figure.
"Watch Chain" ~ SO FUN! SO...MUCH...FUN!!! This is most definitely the BEST sing-a-long track on this whole record, with the best harmonies. So very tight! They treat the "Be aware of the danger/great water" part as the bridge now, which is an interesting change up. The electric guitar stays true to the demo and there is a bit of an Eagles influence going on here a la "In The City". So pleased as to how this one turned out!
"Hard Advice" ~ A very sweet love song to Tom Petty. Basically she's lamenting over Lindsey and Tom is telling her to shut the hell up and get over him already. I enjoyed this one a lot more than I thought I would. Her voice is honey velvet. I teared up...I'm not gonna lie.
"Carousel" ~ Cute but cheesy...until you read the liner notes and realize it was Barbara Nicks' favorite song in the final years of her life. Perfect 3 part harmony from start to finish. It certainly DOES SOUND like Vanessa singing back up, but there's no credit in the notes.
"Blue Water" ~ Sad to say, the BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT for me. They really went a different way with this song. The same familiar tack piano starts it off but then the harmonies by the gal and guy from Lady Antebellum (also NOT credited) start to ruin everything and it kind of goes downhill from there. I never thought it would turn out like this, but this song turns into a copy cat of Huey Lewis & Gwenyth Paltrow's "Cruisin' Together" as it goes forward and ends. I don't HATE the song but I'm not particularly fond of it, either.
It is "Blue Water" where this album (sadly) starts to fall apart and lose me...
"Cathouse Blues" ~ Entertaining, just like the demo. In fact it's the EXACT SAME as the demo, just a "Dixieland" version of it with added harmonies and a quick instrumental. It's catchy!
"The Dealer" ~ Still just a "meh" song for me, even though I do enjoy it more within the context of the rest of the album as a whole cohesive piece.
"She Loves Him Still" ~ The WORST SONG on the album for me. It reeks of "Street Angel". Even the flute sounds so very dated...that early 90's Adult Contemporary blech-ness... This track and "Blue Water" are the ONLY songs off this record that are pale shadows of the demos that preceded them...and THANK GOD we still have the demos to enjoy.
Well, there you have it. My first impressions from my first listen. Attached are some pictures of the inside gatefold album and the liner notes. The artwork and polaroids are fun! I'm off to listen to it again. And by the way, the download cards don't work yet.
Boo!!!